Heart's Fate
by MangaMaid4545
Summary: When Akira moved to Japan, her friend Kumori assured her it would be ok. But, she didn't know Akira's necklace attracts demons. Now Akira has to fight or die... and try to not fall in love. For falling in love could be what kills her. KuramaOC HieiOC
1. Chapter 1

Manga Maid Notes: Hello! Yes! I am back! I am sorry to the people who have read my other stories! I was grounded. I am working on this with **demon of my heart and mind**. You rock! To all reviewers, you rock too!! Also, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Grimm's Fairy Tales, or the story One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes. They belong to their respective owners. Kumori also belongs to **demon of my heart and mind**.

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"Akira. Time to get up," called Minori Wagerman called quietly. It was 4:00 A.M. on Saturday in New York. As she looked in her daughter's room, Minori didn't see Akira. She looked in Akane's, her 5-year-old daughter, room to see almost 15 Akira helping Akane get dressed. Akane was still sleepy as Akira helped her get her coat on.

"Akira?" Minori asked quietly.

Akira turned to her mother and smiled, "Hello Mom. I got Akane ready to go."

"That's great! Kohaku, Sakura, and the triplets are in the car. Do you mind helping me with the twins?" Minori asked.

"No. Of course not," Akira smiled. Akira took her little sister to the car and went to help her mother with the one-year-old twins, Yuki and Yuri. After they were put in the car, Akira got in and buckled her seatbelt. Then, Sakura began her complaining.

"Mother…" she whined, "It's not fair! I have friends here in America! Why do we have to go to Japan!?!?"

"I have a friend there, Shiori Minamino. She said we could help each other in Japan since your father died," Minori replied to her 19-year-old daughter.

"Why couldn't she move here?" Sakura complained.

"She has a son, Shuuichi Minamino. He's in a high prestige school in Japan. If they moved here, he'd lose the schooling he has. I can't ask that of them, Sakura."

Sakura turned away, angry at her mother's answer. She muttered, "So, why can she ask us to move?"

Akira rolled her eyes at Sakura. She looked at Sakura's long, black hair. She could imagine Sakura's deep blue eyes, icy from the anger. Her full lips must be in a tight line. In Akane's opinion, Sakura was like Aphrodite today. She was beautiful, but she couldn't help but get jealous and take revenge.

"I'm thinking of this as a new opportunity, Sakura," 21-year-old Kohaku said. 'Ah, Kohaku,' Akira thought. The voice of reason. She had glasses and always had her black hair in a bun. She was an accountant, and a very good one at that. Being the eldest, she was the one helping Mom with the necessities, such as food, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc. by working two jobs. Accounting and… accounting. She accounted for two businesses and it was rough on her, Akira could tell.

"Besides," Mom said, "Kumori's there. You'll know at least one person."

"Oh great!" Sakura said, her voice dripping in sarcasm, "The odd ball's freak of a friend! Joy! Just what I needed to make my day!"

Akira twisted a lock of her brown hair. She knew that Sakura was talking about her. All her siblings had black hair, but she took after her father, having his brown hair. What was worse was she had his blue eyes to match, which Sakura had teased her about by saying that she was the only true American, but she had such a heavy Japanese accent from Mom that it was way too hard to understand her English. This wasn't really true since it was only a light inflection since Mom had insisted on teaching her Japanese first, instead of English.

Akira guessed that Sakura didn't like her since she was trilingual and doing well in school. With her dad's adopted parents being Hispanic, her dad being American, and her mother being Japanese, Akira had learned all three languages and was fluent. As for the school work… well, it didn't seem that hard to her. Sakura on the other hand, was a different story.

Sakura had had the hardest time learning Japanese and Spanish out of all of the children. She had never been a straight "A" student and her grades were always slipping, when she hadn't been skipping with her friends.

"Sakura, please try to understand. I'm doing what I think is best," Mom said.

"Oh, yeah! Taking away my friends and ruining my life! Yes, that is totally the best thing for me!!" Akira finally noticed that all of Sakura's words had been a bit slurred.

"Have you been drinking Sakura?" Akira asked.

"WHAT'S IT TO YOU, BRAT!?!?" Sakura turned around and yelled at Akira. Akira flinched at her sister's harsh tone. She looked at her sister's bloodshot eyes. Yes, Sakura had been drinking. Akira clutched at a silver heart pendant hanging from around her neck. It was a late gift to her from her late father.

Yuri, who had woken up due to Sakura's yelling, began to cry. She bawled as she felt the need to tell the world she had been woken up. Yuki, Yuri's twin brother, and the triplets, Sango, Tsubaki, and Ryuu, fortunately, were heavy sleepers, so they didn't wake up. Unfortunately, Akane, like Akira, was a light sleeper. Her chocolate brown eyes fluttered awake. She looked to her youngest sister.

"Akira? Why's Yuri crying?" she asked sleepily.

Akira answered, "She just is… Go back to sleep."

"But… I don't wanna…" Akane muttered before she fell back asleep.

Akira reached over to Yuri's car seat and began to rub her back. It calmed her down and soon she fell back into dreamland.

Akira looked at the back of Sakura's head, sadly. Sakura had made bad friends and that had led her to becoming an alcoholic. When she was sober, Sakura was actually a nice girl. But it was apparent she was not sober at the moment, which was worse. When Sakura was drunk, she became violent, easy to anger, and abusive. Akira took most of the beatings, protecting her younger brothers and sisters from harm.

Soon they reached the airport. When they got on the plane, at 6:30 A.M. Akira looked at the ground out the window. Then she looked to see Akane asleep on her right, Yuki next to her, and Sango next to him. She turned back to the window and knew it would probably be the last time she'd ever see American soil. Soon, she'd be in a new country, a new school and a new house. But at least, she thought to herself as she felt sleep start to take over her senses, Kumori would be there.

12 and 1/2 hours later…

It was 8:00 A.M. Sunday, when they got to Japan. Akira picked up 3-year-old Sango, who clung on to her neck and held Akira's hand as they walked off the plane. Mom had Yuki and Yuri, while Sakura, who had sobered up on the plane carried Tsubaki, and Kohaku carried Ryuu. They wandered around the airport looking for Mrs. Minamino, Kumori, or even Shuuichi, not that anyone except Kohaku, Sakura and Mom had seen him. No luck. They sat on a bench. Akane began to pull on Akira's hand.

"What is it Akane?" asked Akira.

Akane said to Akira, "Look at the lady. She's doesn't look so well."

"Which lady, Akane?" Akira looked for the woman.

"The one next to the boy with red hair," Akane pointed to her. Akira looked and saw a face she knew from looking at her mother's high school pictures. It was Shiori Minamino. With her was a boy with long red hair and deep green eyes.

"Mom?" asked Akira, "Is that her?" She pointed to the woman as Mother looked. Mom smiled as she saw her best friend's face looking around the airport.

"Shiori!" Mom called.

Shiori and the boy turned to see Mom waving at them. Shiori began to walk with a little help from the boy to them while Mom gave Yuki and Yuri to Sakura -who had given Tsubaki to Kohaku- and began to run toward her best friend.

Akira turned to Kohaku and asked, "Is that redhead with Shiori-san Shuuichi-san?"

"Yes! I'm surprised you know that! I know you've never seen his face," Kohaku said, "How did you know?"

"Well, Kohaku-onee-san, I'm pretty sure that either children or husbands help sickly women. And I'm pretty sure he's not her husband," Akira teased.

"Oh…" Kohaku blushed red in embarrassment.

Akira laughed. Just then, something tackled her to the ground. Luckily, Kohaku saved little Sango before Akira hit the ground. She looked to see a short person with silver hair and a red streak hugging her.

"Kumori?" Akira asked, "Is that you?"

"Akira! You're here!" Kumori said, grinning wide. Her ice blue eyes twinkled as she asked, "Do you have it?"

Akira sighed, "Kumori-chan… I swear, you're addicted to this!" She pulled out of her pocket a glow in the dark yo-yo.

Kumori grabbed it, squealed in happiness, then glomped Akira again.

"Kumori-chan!" Shiori said, in shock.

Kumori quickly stood up. Shuuichi began to chuckle quietly. Kumori grabbed Akira and dragged her over to the group.

"Shuuichi! This is Akira Wagerman!" Kumori began to introduce Akira and Shuuichi at once. "Akira, this is Shuuichi Minamino!"

"Um…" Akira stuttered, "Hello, Shuuichi. It's a pleasure to finally meet the person I've heard so many great things about."

"Good morning Akira. Likewise, it is also a pleasure to meet you," Shuuichi said. Akira liked him already. He had good manners, she could tell. It was kind of odd though. He acted a bit older then he was. It was like he was an adult in a boy's body. But as everyone started talking with one another, she shook it off.

Akira watched everyone chat with one another. Then she heard soft crying. It was faint, but noticeable. She quietly slipped off and followed the noise. She wandered after the sound and found a little blonde girl crying.

"Hello," she said, "Are you okay?"

The little girl looked up. She had deep blue eyes that were filled with tears. She looked frightened when she looked at Akira.

"What?" The little girl said in English.

Akira realized what must have had happened. She probably couldn't speak Japanese and it must've been scary to be in a place, alone, where she couldn't talk to anyone. Akira squatted down to the little girl's height.

"Hello," Akira said, in perfect English, "Are you all right?"

"No…" The little girl said, "I lost my mommy. I let go of her and now I can't find her!!!"

Akira soothed the little girl, "It's ok. Can you tell me you're name?"

"Rosie," the little girl replied.

"Okay, Rosie. Do you know your last name?" Akira asked.

"Greenstone," Rosie said.

"Okay. Rosie? I'm going to take you to the nice man at the counter and tell him to call for your Mom. Okay?"

Rosie nodded. Akira picked her up and walked over to the counter. The man looked up.

"Can I help you?" he asked, in Japanese.

"Yes," Akira said, in Japanese, "Could you call for a Mrs. Greenstone. Her daughter here got lost and she can't find her."

The man nodded and called on the intercom for Mrs. Greenstone to come get her daughter. Soon, a woman with blonde hair and green eyes came running up to the desk.

"Rosie!!" The woman cried.

"Mommy!!" Rosie said, reaching for her mother. Akira handed Rosie to her mother.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" the woman said, "How can I ever repay you!?!"

Akira smiled and spoke in English, "It's all right. I'm just happy I helped Rosie find you!"

"You speak English? May I ask you your name?" Rosie's mother said.

"Akira. Akira Wagerman." Akira said.

"All right. Akira. I won't forget it!" Rosie's mother said, "Thank you." Suddenly Akira heard on the intercom, "_Akira Wagerman, please report to Gate E. You're family is looking for you."_

Akira froze. _'Cheese nips,'_ she thought. She had forgotten to tell anyone where she had gone. Now, her mother was probably running around, freaking out.

Akira bolted toward Gate E. She saw the giant group of people looking for her. Kumori saw her first, and ran toward her.

"Akira! Are you okay? Ku-I mean Shuuichi noticed that you were missing first. Where did you go?"

Akira rubbed the back of her head and looked at everyone nervously, "Ano… I noticed a little girl who was lost. I helped her out and, well, I guess I forgot to tell anyone where I was going…" She laughed, even more nervous now.

"AKIRA!!" Minori cried, "IT IS NOT FUNNY!!! NEXT TIME, TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!!! YOU'RE LUCKY YOU WEREN'T HURT!!!"

"But Mom…" Akira said, "That little girl couldn't speak Japanese! How was she supposed to get any help?!"

"I don't know, Akira," Kohaku said, "But, you should have told us where you were going."

Akira slouched. She muttered, "So much for sisterly support… Thanks nee-chan…"

"Akira…" Minori said, "We'll talk about your punishment when we get unpacked."

The triplets, who had all fully woken up from all the commotion, began to chant, "PUN-ISH-MENT! PUN-ISH-MENT!"

Akira sighed, "Yes, Mother."

Shuuichi cocked an eyebrow. Not many children took a punishment that easily. This Akira Wagerman must be something different from your average teenage girl. He would have to study her more carefully.

Kumori looked at him. She laughed.

"What's so funny, Kumori?" Shuuichi asked

"Oh. You just seemed surprised by Akira's behavior. I thought I told you before, Akira's not like other teenage girls. In some ways, she reminds me of you." Kumori said.

"How so?" Shuuichi asked.

"Well… For one, _Kurama_, her family is the most important thing to her. Like how you care for your mother," Kumori smiled knowingly, up at Kurama.

Kurama looked at Kumori and nodded, understanding what she meant.

Kumori pulled out her yo-yo and began to play with it. She smiled as it went up and down, up and down. She played with it as they left the airport, content. For the moment.

Suddenly, Shiori turned to both of them. "Shuuichi? Kumori?" she asked, "Do you know where Jiro and Kokoda are?" Kumori shook her head, then decided to be hyper again and glomp Akira. Kurama also shook his head, not knowing where his stepfather and stepbrother were.

Minori turned to her best friend. "Shiori?" she asked, "Who are Jiro and Kokoda?"

Shiori slapped her forehead. "I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" she said, "Jiro is my new husband and Kokoda is his son."

"Oh! You got married? That's wonderful!!" Minori said, excited for her best friend.

As both women began to chat, Akira, who had Kumori clinging on to her neck, still, looked around. Then she said, "Ano… Kumori?"

"What is it, Akira?" Kumori asked.

"Could you let go of my neck? I can't breathe!!" Akira said.

Kumori instantly released her chokehold. Akira thanked her and began to look for Jiro and Kokoda, even though she had no idea what they looked like. Akira suddenly turned to Kurama.

"Ano... Shuuichi-san? What do your stepfather and stepbrother look like?"

"Well," Kurama said, "I guess you'll get to see."

"Huh?" Akira tilted her head to the side as she looked at Kurama. He pointed and Akira saw that where he was pointing, there were two people running. Soon, Jiro Hatanaka and Kokoda came running up.

"Sorry we're late!!" Hatanaka said. Kokoda nodded.

"Jiro, it's all right," Shiori said. She gestured to Minori, "This is my friend, Minori Wagerman. She's the one who moved to the United States. These are her children: Kohaku and Sakura, Ryuu, Sango, and Tsubaki, Yuki and Yuri, Akane… and over there by Shuuichi and Kumori is Akira."

"My, my. So many people!!" he said, "Looks like we'll have to create a bit of a sleeping arrangement when we get back to the house!"

"Sleeping arrangement?" Sakura asked her mother as they began to walk to the Hatanaka residence.

"That's right, Sakura," Kohaku said, "Remember what mother said? We'd have to stay at Shiori's house for a night. Then, tomorrow, while Akira and Kumori go to school, the rest of us will go and start unpacking."

Akira sighed, "But, I'd rather stay and help out. It's a lot easier."

Kumori said, "Hey! You're going to the same Junior High as me! Besides it's almost Summer Break! Just two weeks away! And you already passed exams for _both _Junior High and High School! Besides I have a friend I want you to meet!!"

Akira smiled slightly. If Kumori had made friends with this person, then they must be a good person and a great friend. She nodded, and said, "Well, if you're sure Kumori…"

"I am!!! She's a great person!!!" Kumori assured Akira.

Akira nodded, but it was so tiny it only seemed like a minuet tilt of her head. But, Kumori noticed it. Akira sighed as they walked on towards the Hatanaka home.

As they walked Akira looked at all the tall buildings. It reminded her somewhat of New York City. She chuckled in her mind. She hadn't been in New York for very long. Less than a month, in actuality.

Her family had originally lived in Oregon, near the ocean coast. Kumori's mother also lived there, near their family. When Minori had heard someone else from Japan had moved in, she instantly wanted to make friends. Instantly, both ladies hit it off. Kumori and Akira? Akira had been afraid of Kumori. She had never seen a girl with _naturally silver_ hair. It had frightened her.

As for Kumori, well, whenever Akira asked Kumori her first impressions of her, Kumori would randomly change the subject to ice cream or as Kumori called it 'sweet snow' flavors. Akira had derived that Kumori's first impressions of her weren't good. She sometimes laughed when she thought how the two became friends.

FLASHBACK…

Akira had been five at the time. She was outside with Kumori, since both mothers were set on having their daughters interact with each other. Kumori was hanging upside down from a tree playing with her glow-in-the-dark yo-yo. Akira had brought a book of _Grimm's Fairy Tales_ that her father had given her. She was sitting under the shade of the tree Kumori was in. She had finished the story of "One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes" when she heard the ice cream truck passing by.

Kumori screamed, "SWEET SNOW!!! YAY!!!"

Akira looked up, "What?"

"I said," Kumori said, "Sweet snow!!!"

"You mean ice cream?" Akira asked.

"Yes!! That's what sweet snow is!!!" Kumori said.

"You want some?" Akira asked pulling out some money her mother had given her.

"Really?" Kumori asked in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's not that much trouble," Akira replied. She got up and ran after the truck yelling, "Mister! Wait!! I wanna buy some ice cream!!!"

Kumori watched her as the truck stopped and she talked to the ice cream man. Then, to Kumori's shock Akira waved at her to come over. Kumori walked over and as soon as she walked over to Akira, Akira said, "Which one Kumori?"

"Huh?" Kumori said.

"Which ice- excuse me, I mean sweet snow flavor do you want? I forgot you call ice cream sweet snow," Akira said.

Kumori picked a chocolate one and Akira paid for it. As they were eating the ice cream, the local bullies came up.

"Hey look, guys!!" The leader said, "It's the book nerd and Kushorti!" Those were his nicknames for them, since Akira had an avid interest in any book she could get her hands on and Kumori, even when she was younger, was shorter than everyone else. Kumori and Akira didn't react. Both were used to the treatment from the older boy. It never bothered them. As they were walking past him. He knocked over Akira's ice cream and began to stomp on it, laughing cruelly at the misfortune.

"HAHAHA!!!" He laughed, "What'cha gonna do now?"

Kumori said quietly, "Never in my life have I ever tasted something as good as sweet snow." Her voice turned deadly, "Sweet snow is something you never mistreat like that. NOW!!! YOU WILL PAY!!!!!"

Kumori suddenly attacked the boy. She pounded and punched, kicked and scratched, pulled and bit. Soon, she was off him and he was a bloody mess. She glared at the other boys. They picked up their leader and ran off. Akira stared. Kumori turned to her.

"I'm sorry about your sweet snow," Kumori said looking sadly at the mashed mess of ice cream.

"It's ok," Akira said, "That was cool! What you did to him? Awesome!!! It was better than anything I've ever read!!!"

"Really?" Kumori asked.

"Uh-huh!!" Akira said, "Say, could you teach me?"

"Neh, maybe," Kumori said, "If you get me more sweet snow, that is!"

"Deal!!!" Akira agreed laughing.

END OF FLASHBACK…

Akira laughed out loud. Kumori and Kurama who had been talking to each other looked at her. Both had confused looks on their faces.

"Akira?" asked Kumori, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Akira said, still giggling, "Just thinking of how we became friends, Kumori."

Kumori blinked and began to laugh as well. Kurama watched as both girls began to laugh harder. Akira noticed Kurama staring at them.

"S-S-Sorry Shuuichi-san!" Akira giggled, "I… s-s-suppose Kumori didn't tell you how… we became friends. I-I guess we'll have to tell you sometime."

Kurama smiled at her. "Yes, I suppose so," he said, "It's seems like it's a funny story."

Akira smiled back and nodded. As they reached the house, Shiori led a tour of the house as Hatanaka and Kokoda went off to do their own business and Kurama went to his room to work on something. Shiori showed them the rooms of the house.

Soon after, Shiori had shown each person where they were sleeping. Minori, Kohaku, Sakura, and the twins were going to sleep in the living room; the triplets, Akane, and Akira were going to share Kumori's room, which was upstairs. It was cramped, but not unmanageable.

Akira looked around Kumori's room. It was different from Kumori's old room in Oregon. Akira's guess was that Shiori had had a say in how she wanted the room to look, since Kumori wasn't going to be a permanent resident. The walls had stayed an off white, instead of becoming Kumori's favorite red ones. It had Kumori's things in it, though.

There was a full mirror Kumori had had since she was young, her bed, desk, things, and pictures. Akira looked at one of the pictures. It was a picture from a year ago of Kumori and Akira. It was the picture of when Kumori was leaving for Japan. Akira had been wearing her necklace, jeans, and her favorite top. It was a green one that had the recycle symbol on it. Kumori had been wearing all clothing that was her favorite color, black. Both girls looked sadly smiling at the camera.

Akira looked at her old picture. Her hair had only come to her shoulders at the time. Now, it was halfway to being in the middle of her back. She looked at the picture next to it. It was a picture of Kumori, her mother, and her father.

Kumori and her mother, who had been sitting, were in the picture, but, Kumori's father, who had been standing had had his head cut off by pure accident. The photographer had had to retake the picture to get the whole family into the shot. Akira had only seen Kumori's father once and he looked nothing like her. While both women in Kumori's family were short and had similar features, such as silvery hair, Kumori's father was tall and Kumori looked nothing like him.

Akira looked at the photo. The reason Kumori had this photo and not the one that had her father's face in it was Kumori didn't like her father. Well, didn't like was an understatement of an understatement. Kumori hated her father and didn't talk about him much. Akira didn't know what had happened between Kumori and her father, but Akira was smart enough not to ask.

"Interesting, aren't they?" a voice said at the door.

Akira turned to see Shuuichi standing in the doorway. She fell over in surprise. He quickly walked over and squatted next to her.

"Are you all right?" Shuuichi asked in concern.

"Shuuichi-san! Y-Y-You startled me!!" Akira said in surprise.

"I'm terribly sorry," he said with sincerity, "Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm all right. I just have a tendency to fall over when I'm caught off guard by something or someone," Akira explained. The palest of all blushes dusted across her face in embarrassment.

Shuuichi smiled at her and said, "I'm glad you're not hurt."

"Thank you," Akira said, as Shuuichi helped her stand up. She smiled and said, "Now, do you mind saying what you think is interesting?"

"Oh, I was just saying that Kumori's pictures are interesting. You seem to get a real feel for Kumori if you look at these," Shuuichi said. He turned to her, "Don't you agree?"

"Yeah," Akira said, "You get to see how wonderful Kumori is and how different she is."

Shuuichi said, "Kumori's a good friend to you isn't she?"

"Mmm-hmm. I've never been able to put myself out in the world, but Kumori… Kumori understands that. And she accepts me for it. I am really lucky to have a friend like her," Akira said.

Kumori came running up the stairs, "Neh! Akira! Shuuichi! There you two are!! Shiori says it's lunch time!! Come on!! She said we might have sweet snow for dessert to celebrate Akira's family coming!!! SWEET SNOW!!!!!" She ran down the stairs.

Akira laughed, "Come on Shuuichi-san! If we don't hurry, Kumori will have our heads for keeping her from her sweet snow." She followed Kumori downstairs, Shuuichi following close behind.

Lunch was filled with the chatter of everyone getting to know each other better. As Shiori had said, they had ice cream for dessert. Akira, who was getting ready to join her older sisters in asking Shiori and their mother questions about life in High School, was dragged out by Kumori to chat and catch up about things that had happened in the past year.

Soon, the hours passed by and after dinner, everyone was setting up bed. Akira unrolled the triplets' sleeping bags first. Then, Akane's. Finally, her own. Kumori volunteered to help Akira get her younger siblings ready for bed. Unfortunately, for Kumori, the triplets, who hated getting ready for bed, found out the one thing that Kumori hated most: Water.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! WATER!!!!!!!!" she yelled.

Akira had to wrestle Ryuu's arms while he was taking a bath, since he tried to splash Kumori. He had missed, but his sisters, who were fussing as they were forced to put on their pajamas, had gotten the idea. Soon, Minori had to come in to help.

Akane was most helpful. She brushed her teeth and hair, helped Kumori and Akira clean up the mess of the Hatanakas' bathroom, and even put on her nightgown. She was only difficult with the idea that she had to sleep next to Ryuu, who kicked and fussed in his sleep.

After Kumori had gotten herself ready for bed, Akira got herself ready. She quickly changed into her pajamas, still leaving her necklace on. She then brushed her teeth and brushed her hair. As she was leaving, though, she bumped into someone. She looked to see Shuuichi looking down at her.

"Akira," he said, surprised.

"Shuuichi-san! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you wait!!" Akira said.

"Not at all," he said, smiling. Akira nodded and quickly brushed past him on her way towards bed. She looked at the room. Kumori was nowhere to be seen, and all her siblings were in bed asleep. As she quietly crawled into her sleeping bag, she thought of the day's events.

'_It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be,_' Akira thought, '_Maybe Dad was watching over me today._' She smiled as she slowly drifted off to sleep, her thoughts full with memories of her father.

On the rooftop of the Hatanaka home…

Kumori quietly crawled up to the top of the house. She looked around until she saw the intended person she was looking for. She walked over to them.

"Aw," she said, "Why'd you have to call me up here? It's cold!"

"Because," the person said, "We can't have anybody in the house find out! If we dragged them into this, it could mean danger for them."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know," Kumori said, sighing. She looked at the full moon, "I'd hate to get Akira involved in this. She's like the sister I never had and I couldn't forgive myself if I lost her because she got involved. But, you said this was urgent and you want me to contact Koenma about this?"

"Yes," the person said, "You see, I'm afraid that Akira may get involved, whether we want her to or not."

"What!?" Kumori said, shocked, "Why ?"

"Because she has a rare Underworld artifact, which many demons may go after. It's called the Demon's Heart."

"The Demon's whatsit?" Kumori asked.

"The Demon's Heart. It's a necklace that increases the power of any demon by at least a hundredfold."

"And she has it?" Kumori said, thinking of her calm and gentle friend. She didn't want Akira to be in this mess, not if she could help it.

"Yes. As her necklace. Maybe you can't see its true form, but the Heart has an enchantment on it to hide it from humans and weaker demons. But the enchantment breaks if the Heart begins to bind itself to a soul. How long has she had it?"

"I think ten years…" Kumori said. '_Damn.' _she thought, '_She's never taken it off. Not even for baths. This isn't good. Akira…'  
_

"Hmm. Well, hurry and go to Koenma. He needs to know about this."

"Of course. And what are you going to do Kurama?" Kumori asked, shaking herself out of her thoughts.

"When you bring back his orders, if they are to contact Yusuke and the others, I will," Kurama said, "But for now, I'll go to Hiei and try to keep him from going after Akira. He'll be sure to notice the Heart's presence. See you soon."

Kumori nodded and both departed into the cold, windy night.

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Manga Maid's Ending Comments: Please Review!! Come on it's not that hard!! Just push the button! You know you want to!!! Do it!! Or no sweet snow for Hiei!!!


	2. Chapter 2

MangaMaid Notes: I thank the two people who reviewed. Thanks to them, Hiei got his sweet snow. So, on with the next chappie~!

Disclaimer: Oh, come on! I think we all know I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho!

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Kumori sighed as she reached the Hatanaka house. She was dead tired. As she began to climb the side of the house, she thought about what had happened in the Spirit World.

Koenma had pestered her about her friend who owned the Demon's Heart, trying to get Kumori to give him a name. Kumori, though, had kept her mouth shut, trying to protect Akira. She knew what would happen if Koenma had found out Akira owned the Demon's Heart; he would force her to fight and probably kill demons and such. Akira wouldn't like that. She was too kind and gentle to kill anyone.

Kumori quietly slipped in through the window. She looked at the clock. It read 3:00 A.M. She frowned. Koenma had kept her for over four hours. She turned her attention to Akira and Akira's siblings. Kumori smiled at the sleeping forms. All of them were sound asleep.

Kumori quietly snuck into her bed and closed her eyes. '_Ah well,_' she thought to herself about how late she was getting to bed, '_It's better to have two and a half hours of sleep, then no sleep at all._' Soon, she had slipped off to the lands that only dreams can take a person to.  
5:30 A.M. Monday morning.

'BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!' The alarm rang out in Kumori's room.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" Kumori screamed as she fell out of bed. She flailed her arms before she hit the ground with a hard SMACK. Akira slightly stirred as Kumori picked herself up. Kumori began to curse.

"Damn fucking alarm! It's a frickin' Monday! I want some shit ass sleep!" Kumori snapped as she turned the alarm off. "I'm gonna find the damn bastard who invented these things…then I'm gonna fricassee the fuckin' son of a bitch and then…" Kumori was cut off as a hand covered her mouth. She looked to see Akira giving her a disapproving look.

"Kumori," Akira reprimanded, "You have children younger than 12 in here. I'm sure my mother would not like them picking up your…hmm…colorful… language." She smiled, "I'm also pretty sure that Mrs. Mina- sorry, Hatanaka, wouldn't like that language here in her house."

Kumori began to laugh. "Ok, ok. I get it Akira. I won't use it around your mom or younger siblings. But really, Ku- I mean, Shuuichi hears me say it all the time and it doesn't bother him."

"He doesn't have siblings under 12, though, does he?" Akira said, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I suppose not," Kumori laughed, "But, you didn't care before."

"Kumori, I _don't_ mind. But my mother and Mrs. Hatanaka probably _do_," Akira said, smiling at her best friend. She turned to the sleeping children. "I suppose we do need to get these four up, though."

"Ugh, great," Kumori said, "Hey, do your triplet-terrors have better attitudes in the morning?"

"No." Akira started to giggle.

"What?" Kumori asked, confused.

"They _hate_ the mornings," Akira chuckled.

Kumori paled instantly. She backed away from the three sleeping triplets as Akira gently shook Akane and the "terrors" awake. Akane got up without a hassle, but the triplets rolled over and moaned a bit. Akira sighed.

She leaned next to them and said, "I guess I'll have to tell Mom you want to live in the new house's closet for the rest of your lives."

"NO!!!" they shouted. All three sat up. They looked mortified. Then they clung to Akira's pajama bottoms and began to beg.

"No! Akiwah, we'll be good!!!" Ryuu, the eldest, said, looking at his sister with big brown eyes. Both Sango and Tsubaki nodded with their older brother as they looked at Akira. Their brown eyes were all looking at her, filled with pleading.

"Ok," Akira said, "Then, to prove you're being good, you have to get up, get dressed, and brush your teeth without a hassle. Understand?"

All three nodded. Kumori was in shock as all three triplets behaved as she and Akira dressed them and did their hair. They didn't make a fuss, splash water, try to squirm away, or anything. They must've really hated closets.

Akira sent them downstairs to go help their mother with anything. Akane had gotten herself dressed while the triplets had been getting dressed. She came over to Akira and tugged on her leg.

Akira kneeled down to her little sister and asked, "What's wrong Akane?"

"Akira? Will you do my hair?" Akane said with her big brown eyes looking at Akira. She was holding out a brush.

Akira smiled and nodded. She kneeled next to her little sister and began to do her hair. She turned to Kumori and said, "Hey, Kumori? Why don't you go get changed and ready for school?"

Kumori nodded, picked up a bundle of blue clothing that was her school uniform, and left the room. Akira heard the bathroom door close. She smiled slightly and began to brush Akane's hair. As soon as she was finished, she sent Akane downstairs as well.

Akira looked at the clock. 6:15 A.M. She sighed. '_I'd better get changed as well,_' she thought to herself. Akira closed the door and changed out of her pajamas and into the uniform her mother had bought her for her new school, Sarayashiki Junior High. It was a blue top and skirt, with a yellow scarf. It fit perfectly to her form. She ran a brush through her hair.

Right as soon as she finished, someone knocked on the door. Akira opened the door to see… no one. She turned around and saw Kumori standing behind her, looking at her. Kumori raised an eyebrow as she looked at Akira and said, "Shiori wants us to come down for breakfast, Akira. She's going to send Shuuichi up in a bit. I suggest we get there before he comes. Also, your mom wants to come down to see you in your school outfit."

Akira nodded. Kumori quickly left the room. Akira gave her hair one last brush and quickly followed Kumori downstairs. Kumori and Akira quickly ran downstairs. As they came downstairs, Akira was smothered by her mother.

"Oh, Akira!! You look so adorable in that school uniform!!!" Minori squealed. She held Akira tight as she fawned over her. Akira flushed red as her mother did so.  
"Mom… Maybe you should do this after breakfast?" Akira suggested to her mother, embarrassed by the attention from her mother.

"Oh. All right," Minori sighed as she sat down at the table for breakfast.  
Akira slightly smiled at her mother's antics. She was lucky her mother had stopped when she did. Her mother loved to fawn over her children and once she started, it was hard to stop her.

As breakfast begun, everyone began to chat, except for Akira, Kumori, and Shuuichi, who were watching the whole conversation as they ate breakfast. Soon, Shuuichi looked at the time. He set his fork down and began to speak.

"Mother, if I may be so rude as to interrupt," Shuuichi said, "But, I believe it is time for Akira, Kumori, Kokoda, and I to go school."

Shiori turned and looked at the time. The clock read 6:30 A.M. She sighed quietly, "I suppose you do… I guess I won't see you as much anymore, will I, Kumori?"

Akira felt bad for Shiori. She seemed to love Kumori as much as Kumori's mother did. But, as Akira remembered, Kumori was not going to be a permanent resident in the Hatanaka home.

About a year and a half ago, Kumori's mother had asked Kumori if she would like to go live in Japan. She had saved up enough money for a one-way trip to Japan. When Kumori was asked this, she excitedly answered yes. She had always wanted to go, to see the place where her mother had lived. Also, Akira would be moving to Japan next year, so answering the question was easy for Kumori. So Kumori's mother asked Akira's mother if it would be all right for Kumori to live with Akira's family until Kumori graduated high school and got her own place.

Akira's mother said it was fine, since Kumori visited so often it was like she was part of the family. But there was a problem. Akira's family couldn't go until next year and Kumori's mother had to send Kumori to Japan that year. So, graciously, Shiori had offered, when she heard the problem, that Kumori live with her and her son, Shuuichi. Soon after, arrangements were made and Kumori left for Japan.

"Akira?" Kumori's voice asked, pulling Akira out of her reverie. "We have to go! Come on!"

Akira looked up, surprised. She saw that Shuuichi, Kokoda, and Kumori were all waiting on her. She quickly stood up, grabbed her bag, and ran out to go with them. After she had grabbed her shoes.

As they began walking, Kumori and the two stepbrothers began to chat. Akira trailed a few feet after them, watching all three chat and laugh together. She wanted to talk with them, but she was nervous. Sure, she had talked to Shuuichi a bit, but he had initiated those conversations. And Kokoda… well, she hadn't heard him speak except at the table… and he never spoke to her. She quietly sighed to herself. She figured she couldn't talk to them because she didn't know the boys.

Well, that wasn't really correct. She knew _about_ the boys, it was inevitable, since she had heard so much about them. But, she didn't really _know_ them. She didn't know their likes or dislikes, or anything really. She shook her head and looked at her feet. Why was life so hard? She watched quietly as Kokoda went into his school yard to greet friends. Then, they kept on walking.

"Akira?" Kumori asked. Kumori had noticed that her best friend was silent as the grave and that she was trailing about five feet behind Kumori and Shuuichi. They stopped to wait for Akira to catch up.

"Hmm?" Akira asked, surprised out of her thoughts. She quickly caught up to the two waiting on her.

"Is something wrong?" Kumori asked, worried now. Akira was never silent. Sure, she was quiet; it was part of her nature. But, she was never silent.

"No…" Akira answered. She trailed off as she said, "I was just thinking…"

"What were you thinking about?" Shuuichi asked, looking at her with interest.

Akira sighed, "Just about… life."

Kumori laughed, relieved. She said, "Akira's just being Akira!" She grinned at Akira.

Akira nodded and smiled. "Hai!" she said, happily. Both girls began to laugh with each other. It felt great to laugh.

Shuuichi watched, smiling, as he watched the two girls. He seemed to understand the friendship they had.

When they reached the corner where they had to separate to go to school, Shuuichi said, "Well, here we are. I'm afraid we must part."

Kumori frowned. She said, "Aw, Shuuichi. I hate this. I wish we all could live nearby. Now it's either a bus ride or a long walk to visit you, your mother, Hatanaka, Kokoda…"

"It'll be all right. We'll see each other more than you think." Shuuichi looked at time. He said, "I'll explain it better to you later. You two better hurry. The school bell rings in ten minutes. I'd run, if I were you."

Kumori nodded and grabbed Akira's hand. She began to run toward the school, dragging Akira along with her. Akira still couldn't get over the shock that Kumori, who was 4'7", could drag Akira's own 5'4" body. But, the shock wasn't as strong as when Kumori had nearly carried Akira home after she had sprained her leg when they were eight.

Akira ran to keep up with Kumori so her arm wouldn't be ripped off. Akira silently thanked her mother for being a dance teacher and enrolling all her children into dancing school. If she hadn't, Akira shuddered to think about how badly her legs would burn after the running to school Kumori sometimes forced her to do.

"Lucky! We have five minutes left!! Well… Here we are!!" Kumori said. She put her hands out and acted like she was a game show hostess showcasing a fabulous prize. "Welcome to Sarayashiki Junior High!"

Akira smiled at her best friend's antics. Kumori always made it easy to smile. It seemed natural to smile around Kumori. It was really hard not to.

When Akira's father had passed away, Kumori had been the _only_ one to try and cheer up Akira. No one else had tried because they were afraid of Akira's reaction. But Kumori had tried and reaped the reward of becoming the friend Akira could lean on.

Kumori ran Akira inside. "Now," she said, "Who's your first period teacher today?"

"Mr. Kyouyu," Akira answered automatically since she had memorized her schedule.

"Ah!" Kumori said, "He's my first period too! Don't worry. He's very nice to new students. Especially exchange ones. Also, he's about five minutes late every day"

Akira released a sigh of relief. At least first period would go without a hitch, hopefully.

Kumori led her to class. They walked in right as the school bell rang. As they walked in, a girl, who was a bit taller than Akira, with dark orange hair and deep green eyes ran up to them. She grinned at them and waved.

"Hi Kumori!!" she exclaimed, happily.

"Hi Hikari!!" Kumori exclaimed. "Hey Hikari, this is my friend from America, Akira! Akira, this is Hikari! She was the one I was telling you about yesterday."

Akira smiled and said softly, "Hello, Hikari. It's very nice to meet you."

Hikari smiled back. Akira grinned. Maybe Hikari wouldn't be like Kumori and glomp her. Suddenly, Hikari tackled Akira in a hug. Then again, maybe not.

"HI!!!" Hikari said, squeezing the air out of Akira's lungs.

"Uh…" Akira gasped out. Akira thought that Hikari probably didn't know it but, she was strong!

"Um… Hikari, I think you're killing her," Kumori said, now worried.

"Oops!!!" Hikari instantly let go. Akira gulped down air that she so desperately needed. Hikari smiled sheepishly at Akira and flushed pink from embarrassment.

Suddenly, someone yelled, "He's coming!"

All the students began to rush to their desks. Kumori and Hikari ran to their desks and told Akira to stay by the door. Akira quickly went by the door. As she reached the door, the door began to open.

The door opened and a man walked in. He had balding gray hair, glasses, and a kind, wrinkled, soft face. He was smaller than Akira, but, he was almost as tall as Kumori. He looked about 50 to 60 years old.

As he walked in, he looked around. He smiled as he looked at his class. Then he turned and saw Akira.

"Oh, hello," he said, kindly. He looked at Akira, and then asked, "Are you a new student?"

Akira nodded, a bit nervous. She hated first days because she could never seem to talk to anyone. At least, not anyone she didn't know. This was going to be hard.

"Well, all right dear," he smiled. "What's your name?"

"A-A-A-Akira Wagerman," Akira stuttered.

"Eh? Ah, yes…yes… Akira! I've heard about you. You're my new student!" he said, "Well then…" He cleared his throat. "Class!" he called out, getting everyone's attention. "This is Akira Wagerman! She's the new classmate from America! Now, I want you all to make her feel welcome at this school! Akira, why don't you tell up a bit about yourself?"

"H-H-Hai!" Akira stuttered again. "Ano… My name is Akira W-W-W-W-Wagerman. I-I-I'm 14 years old. Ano… I-I-It's very nice to meet you all…" She trailed off as she saw a girl with blonde hair snicker into her hand. Akira bowed to the class.

"Very nice," Mr. Kyouyu said, "Now, why don't you take the empty desk next to Kumori Aisubachi. Over there." He point to the empty desk. Akira nodded and quickly scurried into the desk.

At lunch…

Akira sighed as she, Kumori, and Hikari sat down for lunch at their desks.

"Hey?" Hikari asked, looking serious, "What's wrong?" Kumori looked at her with an intense look of worry.

Akira smiled at both of them and shook her head. It didn't need to concern them that her first day felt awful. It turned out Kumori, Hikari, and Akira all had the same schedule. That was lucky for Akira. But always, in every single class so far, one student seemed to laugh at her. She sighed again and looked out the window.

"URAMESHI!!!! GIVE ME BACK MY SANDWICH!!!" a deep voice yelled. It startled Akira out of her thoughts as she jumped in her seat.

Everyone in the class turned to the door as a boy with black, slicked back hair, brown eyes, and dressed in a green jumpsuit ran into the door carrying a sandwich. He was laughing. He turned back and yelled into the hall, "Aw, come on Kuwabara! If you can't catch me, then you shouldn't be eating this!"

"URAMESHI!!!!" A tall boy with orange hair, also slicked back, and in the blue jumpsuit boys had to wear, ran in. Akira guessed he was Kuwabara and the boy with the sandwich was Urameshi. Kuwabara tackled Urameshi and both began to fight with each other.

"HEY!!!" Hikari yelled at the two boys, "No fighting!!!"

"Both of you idiots knock it off!" Kumori yelled.

Both boys stopped as they heard Hikari and Kumori yell at them. Both turned to see the two girls standing up and looking down at them annoyed. They smiled at the girls, sheepishly. Kumori snatched the sandwich out of Urameshi's hands and tore it into two equal pieces.

"Here!" she snapped. She turned to Urameshi, "Yusuke! Next time you and the idiot go at it for a stupid sandwich, I will rip your stomachs out! Or have Keiko get involved! You got that?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said, bored already. He looked at Akira, surprised. "Hey, who's your friend?" Kuwabara also turned his attention to Akira.

"This is Akira," Kumori said, changing to a more cheerful personality. Then, she suddenly went dark again, "And Yusuke, if you go and do or say anything perverted to her, you will be killed. And I will be the one who is doing the killing. Understand?"

Yusuke looked surprised, but, he nodded at Kumori. Apparently, Kumori knew him and Kuwabara, and Yusuke knew, respected, or feared her enough to listen to her warning. Kumori smiled happily.

"Good!" she said. "Akira, this is Yusuke Urameshi and the idiot!"

"Hey!!" Kuwabara shouted, "My name's Kuwabara! Not the idiot!!!"

"Well, you are an idiot…" Kumori muttered to herself. Hikari giggled. Akira furrowed her brow in confusion. Why did Kumori call Kuwabara an idiot? She never had called anyone an idiot before. Why did she start now?

Akira watched as Yusuke and Kuwabara pulled up a couple of desks and began to chat with the girls. Akira listened to conversation. Apparently, Yusuke had a date with a girl named Keiko Yukimura after school that day. Akira remembered her from an earlier class.

Keiko had shoulder length brown hair and deep brown eyes. She was a member on the school council and she had been very nice to Akira. Since Akira hadn't been sitting near Kumori or Hikari in that class, Keiko had helped her out when she got lost.

Just then, the bell rang. Kuwabara and Yusuke waved as they got up to go to their classrooms. Yusuke called out, "Hey, maybe we'll see you at Genkai's later."

Akira raised an eyebrow. Genkai? Who was Genkai? Kumori and Hikari quickly rushed to go sit in their seats. Akira sighed. She certainly wouldn't find out from those two. She walked up to the front to get ready to introduce herself.

After school…

Akira and Kumori waved to Hikari as she went off with some other friends towards her home. Kumori and Akira walked to the front to receive a surprise.

"Hello. May I walk you ladies home?" a familiar voice said. It was Shuuichi, waiting for them at the front gate. He smiled softly as Kumori's jaw dropped and Akira's eyes widened.

"Shuuichi-san?" Akira asked. "What are you doing here?"

"My mother called me and told me where your new house is. So I thought I'd walk you ladies there, since you don't know where it is. Is that all right?"

Akira and Kumori nodded. Shuuichi led the way as they began to walk to the new house.

"Hey! Shuuichi!" Kumori said, "How come you didn't tell me you were going to pick us up?!"

"I thought it would be a nice surprise," Shuuichi responded as they walked along. "Besides, I didn't know the address until my mother called me."

"Well, you could've told me you were coming!! Now I feel stupid…" Kumori said, annoyed.

Akira smiled a little and said, "Aw, don't feel bad Kumori! I didn't know at all, either!!! And besides, it was nice to see Shuuichi again before you have to move into my house, wasn't it?"

"I suppose…" Kumori muttered.

"See?" Akira said, "So don't be upset with Shuuichi! Besides, if he hadn't shown up, we might've had to stay at the school for the night, since I didn't know the address!!! Also, I'm pretty sure you didn't know the address either!"

"I…uh…but…I…damn…Hn." Kumori said annoyed. She didn't like being left out of things, even things where only one person was in on it.

Akira smiled at her best friend. Kumori was just so darn cute when she was annoyed. Akira would feel like squeezing her to death. But, if she did that, Kumori might never speak to her again, since Kumori hated being treated like a little dolly.

Shuuichi looked at Kumori and Akira's faces and began to laugh. Akira and Kumori looked at him in surprise. Akira had never heard Shuuichi laugh and Kumori had ever very rarely heard him laugh. He was usually calm, level-headed, and kept his cool. He never was one to just burst out laughing.

"I…I'm sorry…" he laughed, "But… the dirty look on your face, Kumori… and the innocent one on yours Akira… It just looked… very amusing."

Akira smiled as she began to laugh softly with Shuuichi. His laughter was contagious; it sounded wonderful and made one feel like laughing along with it. Soon, Kumori was laughing along as well. All three finished laughing as they reached the house.

Akira blinked in shock and her jaw dropped as she looked at the house. Kumori's eyes widened. Even Shuuichi raised his eyebrows.

The house was big. Not as big as Hatanaka's house, but still it was big. Akira and Kumori's houses in Oregon were small, one-story houses. This was a two-story house. It was white with black roofing. It had several windows, the top ones were probably for bedrooms, and the bottom ones were probably rooms in the house. There was a flower bed in front of the house and a porch out front.

Akira was shocked. How could her mother, a dance teacher, afford this? Sure, she made good money, but having nine kids to clothe and feed took a lot of money. She was surprised to say the least. Her mother must've saved a lot of money for many years to buy this house. It looked expensive.

As they walked in, Akira's mother, who was rushing around and telling Hatanaka, Shiori, Kohaku, Kokoda, and Sakura where to put things, stopped. She saw that Shuuichi, Akira, and Kumori had walked and she went over to them.

"Hello Akira!" her mother said brightly, "How was your day?"

"It was all right…" Akira trailed off.

"Really…?" her mother asked, breathless, "That's wonderful! Oh yes! Kumori, your things are in you room which is upstairs second door on the right in the left hall. Akira, you're in the same hall, third door on the right."

Both girls began up the stairwell, when Akira's mother said, "Oh, Akira?"

Akira turned. "Hmm?"

"Would you mind, when you're done, helping Akane unpack. Ryuu, Sango, Tsubaki, Yuki, and Yuri's rooms are done. I got to make your beds and other things, but, I haven't gotten to unpack your things or Akane's things… So…?"

"Of course, Mom. All you had to do was ask," Akira said, "I don't mind at all. You know I love to help Akane!!"

"I know. That's why I count on you," Minori said.  
Akira smiled at her mother, and then climbed up the stairs to her room. As she walked in, she smiled. Her room was lovely.

It was painted a lovely shade of aqua green, with a midnight blue ceiling with constellations painted on it. A white dresser was near the closet. Her bed was covered in a light blue blankets with a blue comforter and blue pillows. Surrounding the bed was a white, above the bed canopy. Next to her bed was a night table with a reading lamp on it. Also, her writing desk was in the room. But, in her opinion, the best part was bedroom had double door leading out to a balcony. On the railing were flower boxes that she had brought, filled with flowers. Apparently, Minori had gotten more done than she thought.

Akira looked at the boxes on the floor and began to unpack. Soon all her things were out of the boxes and in their places. She smiled at what her mother had done for her. It was wonderful. Her mother had left a month earlier to paint the rooms to fit each person. Her mother had created the perfect room for Akira.

Akira walked out into the hall and began to look for Akane's room. It wasn't hard to find, since it was on the other side of Akira's bedroom. When she entered she was surprised.

Everything in Akane's room was unpacked and put in its proper place. Akane was coloring on her floor when she looked up at Akira. Akane grinned.

"Hi Akira," she said, "I did this all by myself. See?"

"I see," Akira said, smiling at her little sister. She squatted next to her little sister and ruffled her hair. She said, "So, is everything okay in here?"

Akane nodded. "Yeah! I'm ok…" As Akira got up to leave, she said quickly, "Akira?!"

"What is it, Akane?" Akira turned to look at her little sister's big worried eyes.

"Sakura said when Mommy and Kohaku are gone she's goin' out," Akane said, her big eyes worried. "You don't think she's gonna-?"

"No," Akira quickly cut off. She tried to ease her 5-year-old sister's fears by saying, "I don't think she'd go out to a bar."

"Oh…. Ok," Akane said, now at ease. She went back to coloring.

Akira looked at her little sister. She smiled sadly as Akane began to hum as she colored in her coloring book. Akira turned, opened the door, and saw Kumori standing there, her face hard and icy.

Kumori motioned for Akira to follow her into her bedroom. Akira went into the room. Inside, all the walls were painted blood red. Right underneath the window was her bed, with the blood-red covers already in place, at the foot of said bed was a small cat-sized chest and a stand for her katana. Her katana was a normal black katana with an image of an ice-dragon on it. On another wall was a set of three larger chests, all three opened to reveal their contents. In one was her drawing supplies, in another was a lot of sharp objects Akira didn't even want to think about, and in the final one was a bunch of bandages and two Japanese fighter outfits. Next to those chests was her computer desk, already adorned with her dragon-shrine which was a bunch of dragons around some candles and a gem Kumori's mother gave her when she was born. Akira turned to look at the final wall, all it had was a dresser…with Kumori's pictures on it. Kumori sat on the bed, stiff.

Akira sat next to her and asked, "What is it Kumori?"

"Akira," she said, quietly, stiffly, "You and I both know Sakura. Do you really think she's not going to go to a bar?"

Akira kept silent.

"Do you? Because if you do, all I have to say is: Akira, you should know better than that."

"I know, Kumori. I was just trying to comfort Akane. She figured out what was happening last month. And I really think Sakura's probably gonna go. But with Sakura, you never know," Akira said, quietly.

"Why don't you tell Minori? She'd put an end to it!" Kumori said.

"Mom already has enough on her plate. She doesn't need to know what Sakura does…" Akira said. "Besides, it would hurt her to find out what's going on. I want to her to stay happy. We've just moved. She's a bit happier now. Telling her would ruin that happiness."

"What about your happiness?" Kumori said, staring directly into Akira's eyes.

"I… It… It doesn't matter, Kumori…" Akira sighed.

"Yes, it fucking does, Akira!! Whatever shit happens to you matters!! Why can't you fricking see that!?!?" Kumori said, grabbing a pillow and throwing it against the wall.

Akira, wanting to change the subject, said, "Gee, I didn't know you were my mother or older sister, Kumori!"

"Well, I was born before you! And you need to take care of yourself! I'm pretty sure no one wants to lose you," Kumori said the last part very quietly, not wanting to think about it.

"Hmm…" Akira said quietly.

Suddenly, a knock was at the door. Kumori opened it to reveal Shuuichi at the door. He smiled.

"Your mother says it's time for dinner," he said.

"Oh! Is your family joining us?" asked Akira.

"I believe so. I think we still have a little bit left to help unpack before we go," Shuuichi said.

"Okay!" Kumori said, "We're coming down." After that she joked, "And don't worry, I won't fall down the stairs!!"

"I should certainly hope not!!" Shuuichi said, sounding like the idea appalled him, even though he was joking back.

All three laughed. Akira knew when Kumori rushed, she usually fell down. Especially on the stairs. Kumori hopped out, Akira following her, and Shuuichi following them both.

At dinner, Minori was intent on questioning Akira about everything about her first day of school. Akira, however, was intent on not discussing it. Whenever her mother asked her a question about school, Akira would answer it with a "fine" or a "yes".

Finally, dinner was over and soon after, Shuuichi's family left for home. Akira watched sadly as her mother left to go start working on the dance studio she had bought for her job.

"Ah, Akira," her mother said when she caught her daughter's face, "I'll be back… Just really late. The twins are already in bed. You and Sakura can put the triplets to bed, I hope?"

Akira nodded. Then, her mother was gone. And gone with her, the protection she provided. Akira put the triplets and Akane to bed when Kohaku went out for her new job. She knew Sakura was going out as Sakura was getting changed into party clothes, while Akira got the younger siblings ready for bed time. In Akira's mind, it was best to keep them from knowing when Sakura went out.

When Sakura left Akira quietly put on some soft lullaby music while she and Kumori began to work on homework. After they finished, Kumori seemed edgy. Akira wanted to ask what was bothering her. But she paid it no mind as heard one of the triplets, Ryuu, begin to cry.

After Akira put Ryuu back to sleep, she found Kumori's door was locked. She sighed and went into her own room, changed, and went to sleep.  
Outside in a park...

Kumori ran around, looking for Kurama. She finally saw him, with a male who was almost as short as her, only three inches taller without his hair. She recognized them both.

The short person had dark blackish-blue hair that was spiky and defied gravity and he had blood red eyes. He was dressed in a black cloak with a white scarf and a headband on his forehead. As Kumori ran up, he and Kurama turned to see her.

"Kurama! I have Koenma's directions!" Kumori said. She looked up at the short person, "I see you brought Hiei! I haven't you seen you in a while!"

"Just tell me what the message is, onna. I have better things to do with my time," Hiei bit back.

"Hiei…" Kurama reprimanded.

"Yes. Well, Koenma says we should keep an eye on the Demon's Heart. He's says not to interfere at the moment, and not to alert Yusuke until demon activity starts happening," Kumori said before quickly adding, "Also, he says that Hiei better not go after the Heart or else his sentence will be extended."

"Hn. As if that _child_ could tell _me_ what to do," Hiei snapped.

"Hiei," Kurama said, "It would be wise to listen to Koenma for now. The owner of the Demon's Heart knows nothing of Demon World. It would not be wise to involve her until she is ready."

Hiei turned away.

Kurama said, "All right. We'll follow his instructions…" Hiei glared at Kurama, until he added, "_For now_." Kurama continued, "You better go back home, Kumori. I'll try to visit more often to help you keep an eye on her."

Kumori nodded and raced back to house, hoping that Akira was in bed and Sakura was leaving her alone.

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Ending Comments: You know reviews would be nice... Maybe that 's what I should ask for this Christmas... Hmm.


	3. Chapter 3

MangaMaid Notes: Hello! I have been busy typing this because next week I am going camping! And I would like to have posted Chapter 4 for you guys! I must thank my reviewers! So I give thanks to **The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B**, **ImmatureChild**, **Death101- Fox Version**, **BloodMoonVampyr**, and of course a big thank you goes to the person who edits this, **demon of my heart and mind**! I love all reviews!!! Thank you! And now on with Chapter 3!

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Time trickled on and soon, four months had passed since the meeting. Kumori began to watch Akira like a hawk, night and day. As he promised, Kurama would take over when Kumori had something come up. After two months, even Hikari started taking up guard duty. But luckily for them, even though they were around her practically 24/7, Akira didn't notice that she was being watched by her friends.

To Akira, it was just a coincidence that Shuuichi or Hikari should show up to visit with her every time Kumori had to do something. She didn't mind though. Hikari was a little better at dealing with the triplets' tantrums and antics than Kumori, since they'd scare Kumori away with water. As for Shuuichi, for some odd reason whenever he visited, the children would be on their best behavior. It was odd. One moment, one of the triplets or twins would be having a tantrum, and the next, _right_ as Shuuichi walked in; they'd be perfect little angels.

Akira though didn't mind. She thought she should count her blessings. It was nice to have a little peace in her hectic household. Lately, her mother and Kohaku would be out from 7 A.M. to 10 P.M., leaving Sakura to baby sit until Akira got back. Sakura, who was visiting bars more often, would sometimes be impatient and ditch her siblings while Akira was at school to go off to a bar.

But today was the weekend. Her mother, Kohaku, and Sakura were all out on personal errands today. Akira sighed, enjoying the fresh air, as she did some laundry outside. Kumori was watching her on the back porch, and her siblings were playing outside as well, near by so she could take care of anything that would happen.

A cold gust of wind hit Akira. Fall was coming. She watched her siblings play, while she hung up a sheet. The triplets were wrestling and playing tag, Akane was drawing with chalk, and the twins were playing with their toys. She tucked back a strand of hair that was loose from the ponytail she had today. Suddenly, something tugged on her leg. It was Yuri. Her little bunch of black hair was glowing and her blue eyes were big.

She said, "'Kiwah!! Up!!"

As soon as Akira picked her baby sister up, Yuki walked up and said, his blue eyes big as well, "Me too! Me too!" Akira picked him up too. Both began to giggle.

Yuki and Yuri, who had had their birthday in August, now two years old, had learned to walk and were just learning to talk. They had learned some names of people around them the most, such as Mama, 'Kiwah, Shueeshee, Kumowee and Heekawee. As soon as they began learning how to talk, they began to babble a lot. At first, "up" and "me too" were the first out of all their words after they learned names, since they always wanted to be carried by either Akira or their mother. They had quickly learned "no" soon after.

Akira set them down and quickly. Before they could scream "no", Kumori brought out some of their favorite toys. They quickly were interested in the toys and Akira watched them to make sure neither was hitting or fighting. Akira smiled and went back to doing laundry. As soon as she finished, she picked up both twins and brought them inside.

Akira set them inside their playpen as she went to go put the dishes from lunch in the sink. She began to hum as she picked up the dishes and put them in the sink. After she finished, Akira picked up the twins and went back outside. She set them down and sat next to Kumori.

"Hey Kumori," Akira said, smiling at her friend. She was surprised as Kumori didn't answer and turned away not looking her in the face. Akira was confused. This was not Kumori. "Kumori?" Akira asked, "Something wrong?"

Kumori shrugged. She still wouldn't look at Akira in the face. Yep, something was definitely wrong. Kumori had been acting odd lately, but this was not Kumori at all!

"Kumori," Akira said, "I _know_ something's wrong. What is it?"

Kumori suddenly perked up. She smiled at Akira and said, "I'll get the door!!"

Akira was shocked as she watched Kumori bounce off into the house. She knew she had to follow Kumori. She quickly looked at her siblings. Nothing seemed wrong, so she followed Kumori. She was positive she hadn't heard anything. How did Kumori hear the door?

When she got there she saw Kumori had opened the door for Shuuichi and was talking with him quickly. Akira was surprised. She was sure that she hadn't heard the door. How could she? She and Kumori had been outside. How _would _they have been able to hear Shuuichi knocking on the door? Yet, Kumori had.

"Akira?" Kumori asked, "Something wrong?"

"I… I…" Akira sighed, and started to massage her temple, trying to relieve herself of the headache she was getting. "Nothing."

"Oh, ok… Hey Akira, I was planning on going to visit Shiori, and Shuuichi going to drop me off. I'll be back soon. Is that ok?" Kumori said. Her face looked a little irritated at the idea of leaving.

"Uh, well… I don't think… I just thought…" Akira gave a frustrated sigh and said, "You should just go."

Akira turned and walked away, shaking her head, leaving Kumori and Shuuichi to look bewildered at each other before they left. Akira heard the door shut, but ignored it and continued the massage the headache, hoping it would go away.

She felt confused. What had bothered Kumori so badly that she wouldn't want to talk to Akira about it? And where was she going? Well, it wasn't her business anyway.

Akira sighed and sat down. Akane, who had stopped drawing, had been taking care of the twins, and had started to watch her triplet siblings wrestle, looked at her big sister as soon as she heard the soft sigh. She stood up, helped Yuki and Yuri to stand up, and all three walked over.

"Akira?" Akane said, watching her big sister with careful eyes, "You ok?"

Akira looked up and smiled sadly. She said, "Yeah, I'm ok… I just… just… I have a headache…"

Akane looked at her sister as Akira kept massaging the aching point on her head. She patted Akira on the arm and hugged her, while both twins clambered on to Akira's lap and hugged her neck. Soon, the triplets noticed the group hug and quickly joined into the hugging.

Akira smiled and closed her eyes, feeling content. She still had the headache, but she felt better. She wrapped her arms around all her younger siblings and soon everything in the world seemed far away. She felt so secure, just holding her siblings. What in the world could go wrong?

In Spirit World…

In the realm of Spirit World, a little child, who looked no older than Akane, even though he was much older by centuries of time, was sitting at a big desk. He had brown hair and eyes. He wore a blue shirt, a pair of tan pants, a red sash, and had a baby blue pacifier in his mouth. He wore a big, rounded, blue hat with the sign of King Yama that was in a big red circle and a JR on pink trim its front. This was Koenma, son of King Yama, himself. His childlike face was carrying a serious expression.

Koenma tapped on his desk, impatient. He was nervous. He knew as soon as she came, he would have to explain to a probably very angry Kumori why he had taken her off the guard duty of the Demon's Heart's owner.

"HEY KOENMA!!!" The voice of the young, angry female in question yelled throughout his palace.

Koenma flinched. Yep. She was angry.

Kumori came storming in. She went up to the desk and slammed her fist on it. She grabbed him by the collar and yelled, "Damnit Koenma! I want to fucking know why you decided to make me leave the Demon's Heart's owner when Hikari or Kurama couldn't take care of her!!! I told you she can't even defend her-damned-self!!!"

"Well, Kumori," Koenma said, "If you would let me go, I'd be happy to explain."

Kumori released him and crossed her arms. Her ice blue eyes were freezing over. She snapped, "Start explaining. NOW!!!"

Koenma adjusted his collar and said, "Yes… Well, I had people look for the research done on the Demon's Heart, once you told me it had resurfaced. The last time we had seen the Demon's Heart was in the King's Vault and that was ten years ago, before it was stolen."

"So?" Kumori said, impatient.

"Do you know who gave it to your friend?" Koenma asked.

"Yes… Why?" Kumori snapped, her eyes narrowing to slits. Of course she knew! It was Akira's late father. That was the whole reason Akira wouldn't take it off.

"Did they have a grudge against your friend?" Koenma's voice was careful.

"No. They loved her very much," Kumori said, now sensing something was wrong. "Why are you asking me this, Koenma?"

"Well, Kumori…" he said, now nervous. "Like I said, I had research looked for. We found it. Apparently, the Demon's Heart was actually a heart once. It was the heart of a rare type of A-class demon."

"WHAT!?!?" Kumori shrieked. She paled as the shriek echoed through the room.

"Yes. The heart of an A-class demon. A female energy apparition, to be exact. Apparently, her name was Mitsuko. We did some research on her. We found out that she did an unspeakable crime of her people and was kicked out of her homeland."

"And what was that?" Kumori asked.

"She fell in love with a human," Koenma said, looking at a paper. He looked up at her, "I believe you, being a half-demon as you are, understand how it's looked at by other demons."

"Oh…" Kumori knew for most demons, to fall in love with a human was an act that was looked down upon. A demon that did that usually was looked down upon for the rest of their days. Kumori knew that since her mother had committed the act that had brought scorn from the demons onto her family.

When Koenma had said she was a half-demon, he was right. Instead of being a human child that would pass on dormant demonic genes, she was a rarer form of being. A child with the blood of a human and a demon. A half-breed. Also, known as the infamous being called a half-demon.

"Yes…" Koenma said. He kept silent for moment then, he said, "Well, once we found out what she had done, we knew her race had a certain… _punishment_ for such behavior. It turns out her race kills both the demon _and_ the human. We had to almost exterminate the whole entire race after we found out they were killing humans. Anyway, we found out we had a diary that she kept. You see, she liked to write her thoughts in a little book. She removed her heart into a necklace for her love to wear."

"Wait! She did what?" Kumori asked.

"Mitsuko turned her heart into a necklace for her love to wear," Koenma repeated. "When one of her race falls in love, they do that. Well anyway, on the day they had arranged for her to give him the necklace, they were found out. They killed the man on sight and she was sentenced to execution. Soon after the day they killed her love, her thoughts became darker. The day before her execution was last time she wrote in the diary. Now, this is why I called you here."

Koenma pulled out a bunch of old papers sewn together and handed them to Kumori. She looked at him confused. He said, "Read the last one. Also, so you're not confused, she's named the diary Aimi. "

Kumori turned the pages. There were hundreds of pages. Finally, she reached the last page. As she read, her face paled.

_Hello Aimi. _

_Today is the day before I die. Thirty four days after they killed Satoru. I am not afraid. Ever since his death, I have wanted to join him in Spirit World. I can only hope that King Yama will be kind enough to put us together when I go._

_Well, this is not why I am writing. I am writing to you because I know this is the last time I can write to you. I will be experiencing many horrible tortures before my execution and they will take my possessions. But not you, I am hiding you with a friend of mine. He will take you to King Yama to take care of. Hopefully, King Yama will destroy my entire race. It's what we deserve. _

_As law dictates, I will be killed, my possessions given to the highest bidder of human world, and the money given to my family. This is to dishonor me and my family, since our race never has need for money and possessing human wealth is very dishonorable. But I will have the last laugh, for one of my possessions will be a curse to whoever owns it._

_As you know, I have the gift of seeing the future. I have seen the future of my heart, and I will not hinder it in anyway. In fact, I mean to help it. My heart, the heart I was ready to give to Satoru will be the destruction of whoever comes to possess it. It will make their life miserable and kill them within the first five years of possession. As I die, I place a curse on this heart of mine. That it shall destroy whatever person comes across it. Except save one..._

Kumori read on. After she finished, she turned to Koenma. She swallowed, now nervous. She said, her voice hoarse, "You're sure?" He nodded.

"I'm afraid so…" he said.

Kumori turned away and said, "I should get back to her. She could be hurt or something…"

"I understand. Go ahead," Koenma replied. He felt sympathy for Kumori. He wondered how he would feel if he knew his best friend was sealed to this fate.

Kumori nodded. She turned and said, "Koenma, I won't tell you her name, but I need to tell you… She's the true owner."

"How do you know?" Koenma said, surprised.

"She's had it for over ten years. She has to be the true owner. Otherwise, she'd have been dead five years ago, when she was ten." Kumori started to walk away.

"All right," Koenma sighed, relieved. Then he called to Kumori's retreating figure, "Kumori! I would like it if you, Kurama, and Hikari kept a tighter guard on her. I'll call Yusuke and Kuwabara, and I'll even try to call Hiei in if you need them."

Kumori stopped, turned towards Koenma, and smiled sadly, "Ok… I doubt that Hiei will do anything, but if you made it a case, I'm pretty sure Yusuke and Kuwabara would."

"Kumori, I hope you know that if there is anything in my power, I'll do what I can to help."

"All right," Kumori began to walk again, then stopped and said, "Oh… Koenma?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks, for all you're doing. It must be a pain trying to help guard a human who doesn't even know she needs to be guarded. But, you should know… I really appreciate it. She may be taller than me, but she's like a little sister I never had," Kumori said, still not facing Koenma.

Koenma was shocked. Kumori never did thank anyone unless she really meant it. She had never thanked Koenma before. Never. Never ever. Apparently, she really cared for this human girl to be thanking Koenma.

"Um… well… You're very welcome," Koenma said, flustered.

Kumori nodded, still not facing Koenma, and rushed off.

Koenma looked at Kumori rushing away. Of how much importance was this human girl? He knew Kumori didn't have any siblings. She was an only child. But, if the owner was like a sister, he wondered how Kumori would react if the owner passed away. He didn't want to think about it.

Knowing Kumori, she might wage war on Spirit World if they let the owner die. And he knew of a certain fire-and-ice demon, who may not have cared about the reason for attacking Spirit World, but would do it just to get back to the Demon World. He shuddered to think of the havoc Hiei and Kumori could make if they teamed up to attack Spirit World. And knowing Hikari, if she was also friends with the owner, and the owner died? Oh, the horrors those three would create.

"Um, Lord Koenma, sir?" A big, blue ogre with one horn, blonde hair, and wearing a tiger loincloth said.

Koenma sighed, "What is it, Ogre?"

The ogre, whose name was actually George, said, "Well, sir… Have you noticed all your paperwork piling up?"

Koenma turned to see mountains of paperwork that had piled up on his desk. He shrieked, "ARGH! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME, YOU BIG BLUE DOLT!?!?!?"

"Well, sir…" George said, nervously, "You were talking with Kumori, so, I didn't want to disturb you!"

"Oh, really. Well, next time you do that, I'll have _you_ do the paperwork! As for now, I'll just give you 100 spankings!!"

"Oh please, no sir!!! Anything but the spankings!!" George begged as two other ogres picked him up and dragged him away.

Koenma sighed. Sometimes, he just hated his job. He picked up his stamp and began to stamp papers.

Back to Earth…

Kumori sighed as she reached Human World. She felt a sad frown come across her face. She saw Kurama and Hiei? Yes, it was Hiei, with Kurama, _waiting_ for her. They noticed her sad and depressed face. Both walked up to her.

"Kumori," Kurama said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Kumori said, sighing sadly. She looked down at her feet, her heart breaking as she thought of going back to the house where Akira and her family were. Akira, her best friend, who had been cursed to an even crueler fate than the fate of the non-owners of the Demon's Heart.

"You know, baka-onna," Hiei said, his crimson eyes glancing down at Kumori and narrowing, "We're not the Detective and the oaf."

"No, Hiei," Kumori said, "I suppose you're not. It's just… Koenma told me something that has me a bit on edge."

"Would you care to explain?" Kurama asked, giving Kumori a soft look, much like a big brother would give to a little sister.

Kumori thought about and shook her head. She said, "I don't think I'm ready to yet. Well, I guess I better get going. Oh, and Hiei?" The fire-and-ice demon's blood red orbs glanced down at her. She said, "Koenma's going to try and contact you. He wants you to help guard Akira if Hikari, Kurama, and I can't do it."

Hiei's frown came more pronounced. He glared at Kumori, who raised her eyebrows quickly than began to give him a glare back. He spoke and the tone of his voice was like a severe warning. A warning not to play with fire. "Listen, onna. I have other things that are of more importance to me than watching a human girl that doesn't even know she needs protection. If he wants me to do that, he'd better have a damn good reason."

Kumori nodded up at the still glaring demon. She said, her voice, turning icy and sharp, "I understand Hiei. I'm not stupid. But, just so you know, he will contact you only if Kurama, Hikari, or I can't watch her."

Kurama sweat dropped and said, "Now, now, you two. If I remember correctly, Hiei, we're still on probation. Koenma still holds our fates in his hands, so you probably shouldn't do anything to upset him. It could prove dangerous later."

Hiei turned his deadly glare onto the fox. He snapped, "Kurama, I don't care."

Kurama said, "Also, I believe it's as Kumori said. It'll only be necessary if Kumori, Hikari, or I can't watch Akira. I don't think Koenma would place people she hasn't familiarized herself with to watch her unless it was absolutely necessary, so you needn't get upset over that. Kumori lives with Akira in her house and Hikari and I are with Akira more often than not. You most likely won't be called unless she either goes missing, or we can't watch her."

Hiei glared at both the male fox demon and the female half-cat demon and said, "You better make sure I'm not called. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to kill all three of you and the human girl."

Kumori glared at Hiei and growled, "Hiei, if you dare touch a hair on Akira's head with intent to kill or hurt her, I will be sure to dismember you. Even if you are a good ally, I won't let you hurt Akira. She's gone through enough traumatic experiences in her life that she doesn't need you to put her through hell."

The angry, dark flames in Hiei's red gaze flared up. He scoffed, "As if you could, onna. You'd be dead before you could even touch me."

"All right, you two," Kurama said, his voice sharp, "That's enough!"

Hiei turned away, suddenly disinterested, and Kumori frowned and turned away. Both glared at different objects, trying not to turn around and kill each other.

Kurama looked at both backs of Kumori and Hiei. He sighed. He hated when he had to play referee between both Kumori and Hiei. But, if he didn't, they go and kill each other. And probably take the whole city with them.

He turned to Kumori and said, "Kumori, don't you think Akira might need your protection?" He looked at the watch he wore on his wrist. "You've been gone for a while. She's probably wondering where you are."

Kumori froze up. How stupid could she be?! She quickly grabbed at the watch. It read 5:00. She knew she had been gone since two. That was three hours ago. She said, "I'd better go…"

"I'll go with you as well," Kurama said. Hiei shrugged, his back still to them, and then, he was gone.

When they reached the house, they saw a note on the door. It read:

_Kumori, I went to give Mom something that she left here that she needs for work. Took everyone with me, so don't worry. Plan to be home when Mom gets done with work. You know how to get in the house, and I left you some dinner before we left. We ate before we left, since Mom doesn't come home until 11:00. I'll see you at 11:00_

_Akira_

Kumori sighed and pulled a house key out of her pocket. She opened the door. She said, "Kurama, would you like to come in?"

"No. Thank you for the offer, but I should really be getting home. My mother will be worried if I don't come home soon."

"Ok," Kumori said. She said to Kurama, "I'll see you later?"

"Yes. I suppose you will," Kurama smiled, "I'm also pretty sure that my family is going to come by later in the day tomorrow."

"Oh… Well, see you tomorrow," Kumori said.

"Right. See you," Kurama said, before he turned and walked away.

Kumori watched the slowly shrinking figure of Kurama leave. She was secretly relieved Kurama hadn't taken the offer. He would have wanted her to explain what was bothering her. That would have been hard. How could she explain it?

Kumori shook her head out of her horrid thoughts and walked into the kitchen. She went to her pictures, looking at the one Akira had sent her, when Akira was in the U.S. and Kumori was in Japan. It was a very recent picture of Akira. She was dressed in a soft white dress, her hair was in a ponytail, and she smiling at the camera. Kumori picked it up.

She sighed to the picture, and said, "Akira… What did you get yourself into?" She stared at the picture, as if waiting for it to answer. She got bored and put the picture back into its assigned place.

She threw herself on her bed. She looked around her room, drinking in everything. Her eyes lingered on the sharp objects in the box and on her katana. It hadn't been very long since she had used the items and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would have to use them again.

She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to drown out the horrible words of Mitsuko's message. Finally, she got up, locked the door, and opened the window. She jumped out of it.

She began to run into the town, and as she ran, her ears turned into silver cat ones and a silver tail soon joined it. Her nails lengthened and her canines sharpened. As soon as she had finished the change into her true form, her speed increased greatly.

Trees flew by and soon became a merged wall of green foliage. She ran into the city and soon, was on a street on the other side of the city. She turned quickly back into her human form and knocked on the door.

A boy a bit older than Kumori opened the door. He had black hair and dark brown eyes. He looked at her surprised.

"Kumori? It's 6:00 at night. Why are you here?" he asked.

"Hey, Kairiu," Kumori said, "Is Hikari in there?"

"Y-Y-Yeah… But, what do you need Hikari for? It's almost dinner time," Kairiu asked.

"I'm going to go visit a friend of ours and I need to bring her. Please. I wouldn't be here if I didn't need her," Kumori said, her glacier blue orbs searched his dark brown ones, trying to make him understand.

Apparently he did understand, for moments after, he turned inside and called to Hikari. Minutes later, Hikari bounced out into the doorway. She blinked and said, "Kumori? What are you doing here at dinner time?"

"Hikari, you have to listen to me," Kumori said, ignoring the question. She looked at her friend's deep green eyes, "We have to go to Genkai's."

Hikari's eyes turned big, as she asked, "Go to Genkai's? At this hour? Why?"

"I'll explain when we get there," Kumori promised. She looked at her friend, hoping that Hikari would agree to go with her.

Hikari bit her lip. She shook her head and said, "Genkai won't like that we interrupted her dinner."

Kumori, surprised, but full of ecstatic joy, tackled her friend in a hug. Tears started to leak out of Kumori's eyes. Hikari's eyes widened. She hadn't seen Kumori cry very often, if ever. When she did that, it was a rare sight to see.

Kumori realized her eyes were leaking and she quickly wiped away the tears. She growled to Hikari, "You did not just see that!"

Hikari knew it was smart to play dumb, and said, "See what?"

"Good girl," Kumori said, patting her head. She turned to the street. The sun was starting to set. She turned back to Hikari. "We'd better hurry."

Hikari nodded. "Right."

Both girls began to run. As they ran, Kumori turned back into her half-demon form. Hikari, however, underwent a similar yet different change. Her human ears began to morph into white with orange speckles pointed dog ears and moved to the top of her head, while her teeth and fingernails sharpened themselves. The transformation was completed as a dog tail that matched the ears sprouted from her behind and began wagging furiously. Her speed began to match Kumori's. Like Kumori, Hikari was a half-demon. A half-wolf demon.

Both girls began run. They ran past the city limits, deep into the forest. They ran until they reached a path. As soon as they reached the path they ran onto it and followed it.

When they reached the end of the path, a mountain of stairs faced them. They quickly ran up them and at stopped at the top. As the top was a small temple. Kumori and Hikari walked up to the temple's door. Kumori knocked on the door.

"Come in," An elderly woman's voice said.

Kumori opened the door and both she and Hikari walked inside. As they walked in they saw in front of them an elderly lady, shorter than Kumori was sitting, her back to them. She was drinking some tea from a cup. She had shoulder-length, pinkish-gray hair, and was wearing a red fighter outfight that had white sleeves and pants.

She turned to them, her brown eyes narrowed as she looked at them. It was as if she was trying to read their motives by staring at them. Finally she closed her eyes, took a sip and said, "Kumori. Hikari. It's about time you two visited."

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Ending Comments: I think you guys know I love reviews! And I really want to write for those who have reviewed. So send them!


	4. Chapter 4

MangaMaid Notes: Hola! I surprised myself and finished Chappie 4! This one was edited by Tsuki Kiba Kumori instead of demon of my heart of mind. The reason? I couldn't get a hold of demon of my heart and mind. So, Tsuki Kiba Kumori will edit until I can get a hold of demon of my heart and mind! Also, Tsuki will be editing chapters that focus on Hikari since I asked Tsuki if she wanted a character in the story, before I started this story.

I am leaving for camp in 2 days, people and won't be back for a little while. So, enjoy. But be patient and good things (AKA chapters) will come to those who wait! Plus, I have an idea for Chappie 5 but I have to be in the wilderness to see where it goes! So onward with Chappie 4!

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Kumori answered, "Hello, Genkai."

The elderly woman, Genkai, looked at the two half-demons. She sighed, annoyed, and said, "Well? What has you coming here during the middle of my dinner? Or did you come to give me crap about something that is a waste of my time?"

Both sat down and Kumori began to think of what to tell Genkai. Finally, she decided to tell Genkai the truth. When Kumori spoke, her voice was very quiet, as she almost whispered, "Genkai, if it was something that was a waste of time, I would've wasted both your and Hikari's time tomorrow. But this is very important." She cleared her throat and said, "Do you know about the Demon's Heart?"

Genkai closed her eyes in contemplation as she thought. She said, "Why do you want to know?"

"Kurama thought a friend of mine, Akira, had the Demon's Heart. I saw a drawing of it in Spirit World, and Akira's necklace has started looking like that. And if it is the Demon's Heart, Akira has a cursed fate. I just needed someone to talk to about it," Kumori said.

"And you chose me?" Genkai said, her voice growing irritated.

"I couldn't think of anyone else to go to!" Kumori snapped. Hikari backed away from the fighting females. Kumori continued, "I couldn't damn well go to Kurama! He's with Akira almost as much as I am! If he found out and started acting unlike himself, Akira would figure out something was wrong! And I can't go to Yusuke or the idiot, because they might mention something to Akira! And as for Hiei…"

Hikari shuddered as Kumori trailed off. Hikari didn't like the telepathic half-fire and half-ice demon. Well, didn't like him was really a half-truth. She actually was terrified of him. He was a bit too violent, murderous, and death oriented for her tastes. Also, he didn't like hugs. Who, besides Hiei, didn't like hugs? She didn't know anyone.

Kurama had told Hikari that Hiei was anti-social. It didn't make sense though. Hikari knew that Kumori was also anti-social. She had made it a known fact to all her friends that she hated crowds. But, Kumori didn't mind hugs… Hikari shook her head as Kumori began to speak to Genkai again.

"So, that's why I came to you. Which comes back to my original question, do you know about the Demon's Heart?"

Genkai said, "Yeah. I saw it once. It was about 30 years ago; a female demon had it in her possession. She said she had had it for about four years."

"What was it like, seeing the Heart?" Hikari asked, now involved in the conversation.

"Well, I remember the first time I saw her, the demon's face was pale, sunken, and it looked like she was going to die. She had accidentally come into my temple, looking for a place to sleep. I found her collapsed on my stairs. The Heart was black and emitting darkness and shadow."

"Hmm," Kumori said, furrowing her brow. About a month after Akira had moved to Japan, the spell had lifted enough for Kumori's eyes to see the true form.

It was a heart shaped, like the locket it had looked like. But it was an outline, not a filled heart, and it had spikes poking out on the edges, both outer and inner. The two bottom points had lengthened, lost their spikes, and braided themselves together for about an inch, then stopped. Also, at the start at the Heart's curve on the top, half way from the curve to the braid, and halfway from the start of the braid and end of it, points had lengthened to the same length as the braid. They were all connected to each other. But what had caught Kumori's eye was that it glowed white, not black. That had to be a good sign.

Genkai continued, "I had pity and took care of her until she died. She told many things. Apparently, she had been mated to a loving husband and had had five little ones. They were a prominent family in Demon World, too. But once she got hold of the Heart, everything changed. She lost everything. One night, bandits came."

"Let me guess," Kumori said, interrupting, "Kurama?"

Genkai frowned and snapped, "Do you want me to finish the story?!"

"Yes!" Kumori said, "But was it Kurama's bandits who came?"

Genkai sighed, "Yeah. His bandits came. They had played it smart. Kurama had one of the bandits go and become a servant for the family. That way, on the night of the raid, the bandit would let them in. The raid went as planned, except, the family woke up."

Genkai closed her eyes and stood up. Hikari and Kumori watched as she walked out. A few minutes passed, and the sound of liquid filling a cup filled the silence.

Finally Genkai came back in. She sat back down and continued, "As you can guess, Kurama was forced to kill the family to keep his cover. Kurama killed her whole family, except for her, and escaped. She wandered for a while, and tragedy after tragedy happened to her. I think when she died the month after I took her in, she was happy."

Hikari asked, "Why? What else happened to her?"

Genkai answered, "If I told you, Hikari, you'd be having nightmares for weeks. Even I couldn't believe all the things she told me she had gone through. Poor girl."

Kumori said, "Genkai! What happened to the Heart after she died?"

"I gave it to Spirit World… I'd heard about the Demon's Heart before and I knew that it would be safe in Spirit World. Why?" Genkai said, now suspicious.

"Did Koenma tell you it was stolen about ten years ago?" Kumori said.

"No," Genkai said. Her eyes filled with realization as it dawned on her. "Has it resurfaced?"

"Yeah," Kumori said. "Like I said, on our friend, Akira. She apparently is the true owner."

"True owner?" Genkai asked. Hikari turned to Kumori as well, now confused.

Kumori began to explain, "The Demon's Heart was actually a real heart. The heart of a girl energy apparition."

Genkai nodded, understanding, while Hikari asked, "The heart of an energy apparition? What's an energy apparition?"

Genkai answered, "They are a race of demons that can control the energy of things around them. They found a way to use energy to change the molecular structure of atoms. They are very powerful and rare."

"Oh…" Hikari said, "Wait a moment… So the Demon's Heart is an actual demon's heart?!"

"Yeah," Kumori said, "According to Koenma, when an energy apparition falls in love, they turn their heart into a necklace for the person they love to wear. Well, this energy apparition, Mitsuko, fell in love with a human, Satoru. It was a crime in Mitsuko's race to fall in love with a human, so they kept it a secret. On the day she was going to give him the necklace of her heart, they were caught by Mitsuko's race."

"MEH!!! That's horrible!!" Hikari cried.

"Yeah," Kumori agreed, and then continued, "They killed Satoru on sight and took Mitsuko prisoner. They executed her 34 days after Satoru was killed."

Hikari said, "MEH!!! That's not fair!! All she did was fall in love!!! Why'd they have to go and kill her? That's horrible!!!"

"Hikari," Genkai said, "You know as well as Kumori and I why they did that."

Hikari nodded. She looked at the ground and closed her eyes. She said quietly, "I _hate_ people and demons that think it's a crime to fall in love with someone of the opposite world. They think that falling in love with a being of the opposite world makes them dirty."

Kumori was listening to Hikari, but quietly watching Genkai. Genkai glanced at Kumori and said, "Well, you said that your friend, Akira, is the true owner?"

"Yes. Mitsuko knew she would be executed and her stuff afterwards was going to be sold. She had a vision of the future person who could wear her heart. She decided to curse it, so no one could use it except this one person. The curse kills anyone else but this person within five years. Akira's had it for ten years now. She has to be the one."

"Why would she be chosen?" Hikari asked. "Is she supposed to be Mistuko's reincarnation?

"That is a good question, Hikari," Genkai agreed.

"Well," Kumori said, "She wrote something in the diary she kept. I don't fully understand it myself. But, from what I read, I don't think Mitsuko was planning to reincarnate herself. She wanted to go to Spirit World to be with Satoru."

"So Akira's not a reincarnation?" Hikari asked.

"I don't know. Genkai, what do you think?" Kumori and Hikari turned to Genkai, waiting for an answer.

Genkai took a sip from her cup. She closed her eyes and said, "Did she ever seem to recognize her necklace when she first got it? Or did she know where it came from?"

"No. I asked her where it came from and she didn't know. I don't think she recognized it either, when she got it. Her mom would have asked me how she recognized the Heart if she had," Kumori answered.

Genkai said, "Then I highly doubt that your friend is a reincarnation. Think about it. If she had been a Spirit World reincarnation, then that might explain not recognizing anything from her previous life. But I know King Yama and Koenma would not reincarnate a person unless they asked to be reincarnated. So we have to scratch that off our list."

"Okay…" Hikari said.

"Now, the only other way for your friend to be a reincarnate is for Mitsuko to have reincarnated herself the way Kurama did. But, you told us that she wanted to die so she could be with her love. I doubt she would have done that unless…" Genkai trailed off, and then said, "You don't suppose she could have had to do an unwanted reincarnation?"

"Forced reincarnation?" Hikari asked.

Kumori explained, "It's when a spirit waiting for Spirit World to come get it, it has to reincarnate itself. They want to go to Spirit World, but either a creature that eats spirits or Spirit World is just taking too long, so they have to find a body or be lost forever."

"So," Hikari asked, "Kurama did an unwanted reincarnation?"

"Yes… and no," Kumori said. Hikari looked confused, so Kumori explained, "He didn't want to die. He wanted to live. That is classified in Spirit World as a forced reincarnation. Where he was forced to find a body or die and go to Spirit World. It's a bit confusing and hard to explain." She turned to Genkai, "I don't think that she would have been forced to do an unwanted reincarnate. Spirit World visits Demon World very often. And besides, when it's a reincarnation that's not done by Spirit World, even if it's forced, wouldn't Akira have retained Mitsuko's memories?"

"Hmm. Then why would Mitsuko trust her heart to a person she had only seen in a vision?" Genkai asked.

"I don't know…" Kumori said. She sighed, frustrated, "If only we could see or at least know what she had seen! Why didn't she write it down?"

"Maybe she couldn't write it down?" Hikari asked.

"Why _wouldn't_ she have been able to write it down Hikari?!" Kumori snapped.

"Well, Kumori, she could have been watched!!!" Hikari yelled, trying to answer Kumori's question. Both girls began to argue.

"Shut up! Don't either of you know anything about how the Demon World worked when the energy apparitions were thriving!?" Genkai suddenly snapped at both of the half-demons. As soon as she had their attention she sighed, and said, "I guess I have to explain it to you then."

"But Genkai," Hikari asked, "How do you know how they acted?"

Genkai sighed frustrated, "the Spirit World only intervened into their world about 40 years ago. I did a favor for Koenma. The younger, innocent, female demons stayed with me until they could live all by themselves. "

"Only 40 years ago?" Hikari asked. "But why?" Kumori looked at Genkai, furrowing her brow at the woman, also wanting to know why.

"That's when the energy apparitions had decided they were going to kill off all the humans to save their next generation from the laws that ordered them not to fall in love with a human," Genkai said.

"But why didn't Spirit World intervene when it first started?" Hikari asked. "I mean, wouldn't that have been easier?"

Genkai snapped, "Look! I don't know exactly why they waited! If you have questions about it ask Koenma!!! Now do you want me to explain why Mitsuko didn't write her vision?!"

Kumori nodded, while Hikari apologized. They really did want to hear why Mitsuko had not written down what she had seen. Especially Kumori.

Genkai continued, "Very well. Okay… Well, according to the demons that stayed with me, when a demon was going to be executed for that certain crime, they were locked into a room with, of course, no other doors and no windows and only one candle for a source of light."

"Oh! That's awful!" Hikari said. Genkai glared at her. She apologized, "Sorry, but it is! I couldn't imagine being locked in a room like that! That's really horrible!"

"You are right though, Hikari," Genkai said, "It is horrible, especially for energy apparitions. They live on sunlight and when they are in dim light or the dark for more than three days, they begin to lose their energy. Anyway, they are watched over for the whole time and anything they do is closely monitored. Mitsuko knew that."

"Wait," Kumori said, "I have a couple of questions. If energy apparitions lose their energy without sunlight, how could Mitsuko place a curse on the Demon's Heart? And if they're closely monitored, why would she write that she had placed a curse on her own heart?"

Genkai closed her eyes, sighed, and said, annoyed, "If you had been a little more patient, I could have already told you that information, since I was getting to it. Honestly, sometimes, you're worse than the slacker. I think Mitsuko knew that being caught was always a possibility. A very dangerous one. But, nonetheless, she went and disobeyed the law. But, while she was doing it, I suppose she must've started to store energy, as a precaution, just in case she and Satoru were caught."

"Ok…" Kumori said, "But that still doesn't answer my second question."

"Can't you wait for more than a couple of minutes!?!" Genkai snapped, "I'll tell you, but you need to have patience!!!" She sighed and said, "As for your second question, I think Mitsuko still loved some of the energy apparitions. She may have hated and despised most of the energy apparitions, but she probably loved some of them. According to the apparitions, before someone's possessions were sold her family and friends could go through them. Before her possessions were sold, I suppose she wanted to warn her family or friends not to try and regain her heart, for their own sakes. Understand?"

Kumori and Hikari nodded. That made sense.

"Now, back to the original question. Why didn't Mitsuko write down the vision of your friend?" Genkai said, "But before I tell you, I have a question for you two. If you were in Mitsuko's position what would you do? Think about it. You know that your own race, people who were like your family, killed humans and your heart is supposed to go to a human, would you give them a probably very accurate description of the only person who would now hold and probably be able to wield your power?"

Both girls kept silent. Hikari and Kumori both knew that if they were in Mitsuko's position they most likely would have done the same thing.

"You see?" Genkai said, "I'm positive that Mitsuko knew that the energy apparitions would start hunting down the true owner of the Demon's Heart. If she had written down the vision I doubt your friend would be alive today."

"All right," Kumori said. She looked down at the ground, then back up at Genkai, "Genkai, there's something Mitsuko wrote in her diary. Something that I think you should hear…"

Kumori took a deep breath and began to explain the last thing she had read in Mitsuko's diary.

At the Wagerman's dance studio…

Akira watched as her mother was teaching one of her students how to pirouette properly. The student had it pretty much down, except she always fell and landed on her face. The student was very upset about it.

Akira looked at the time. It read 8:36 P.M. She sighed. Only 24 minutes until the hip hop class would come in, and only 2 hours and 24 minutes until her family could go and head for home. That would be nice. The twins had fallen asleep about an hour ago and triplets and Akane were getting droopy-eyed as well. Hopefully, when they got home, Kumori would still be up and she could help put everyone to bed.

Akira watched as the student finally did the pirouette correctly. She applauded for the student with her mother. Then….

"_Akira…_"

It was a voice. A soft, gentle, female voice. Akira turned her head to either side, looking for the owner, but no one was around. She rubbed her temples again as she felt a headache coming on. Maybe she was going crazy.

"_No, Akira… You are not crazy…_"

Ok, _that_ was a little odd. She hadn't said that out loud. Maybe she _was_ going insane and she had crated this… this… voice to try and tell her otherwise.

"_No, young Akira… You did not create me… I was around even before your great- great-grandmother was born. So do not think you are going insane…_"

Akira froze. Ok… the voice could read minds and she was reading hers. That wasn't good.

The voice chuckled, "_I can only read one mind, and that is your mind, dear one. You and I are tied together in a way that cannot be explained yet, since you are not ready for the truth._"

Akira looked around. Who was the owner of this mysterious voice? And where was she?

The voice chuckled again, "_Oh little Akira, how young and naïve you are. You see, if you knew where I am, you would think you were crazy. But, just so you do not keep yourself up at night, I will stop. But I'll give you a very good clue. You could say I'm right under your nose…_"

Akira looked around again. She sighed. Maybe she was the one who needed some sleep. Time to stop reading before bed…

Back to Genkai's…

"Well, that does pose a problem," Genkai said, after Kumori had explained everything. "I can't believe that a demon would be as foolish as to do what Mitsuko did, especially with knowing how the receiver would react to her little… gift."

"I agree," Hikari said, "What kind of person or demon does that? It's just cruel to do that to another person!"

Kumori nodded, agreeing with Hikari, looked at Genkai straight in the face, and asked, "So, what do you propose Hikari and I do about this problem… gift… whatever you call it?"

"Well, Kumori. Hikari. What do you think you should do about it?" Genkai asked, looking at the half-demon cat.

"Well, Koenma suggests that we need to keep Akira oblivious to the fact that demons are after her and-" Hikari said.

Genkai interrupted, "That's not what I asked, Hikari. I asked you what you think you should do about the situation."

"I wanted to tell Akira, once I found out that the Demon's Heart was a rare and powerful object that demons would go after," Kumori said, "But Koenma forbade me from doing it since Akira's an innocent. I'm so confused. Half of me wants to defy Koenma and explain everything to Akira… And yet, the other half wants me to keep her from worrying about demons coming after her. So, I don't know what to do!"

"Yeah," Hikari agreed, "I've been thinking the same thing. I mean I met Akira only a few months ago, and now she's like a little sister to me too! If anything happened to her because of anything we told or hadn't told her…" Hikari shuddered, closing her eyes to block out any horrible images.

"So Genkai," Kumori said, "That's why I came to you. I really need a second opinion. I can't make up my mind. Otherwise, I would do what I felt like."

"Hmm. Let's see," Genkai said, as she closed her eyes and began to brood over her answer. She thought for at 15 minutes than said, "My answer is you have to choose what you are going to do!"

Both girls fell over, anime-style. Kumori sat back up and yelled, "GENKAI!!!! WE CAN'T DECIDE!!! THAT'S WHY WE CAME TO YOU!!!!"

"WELL, YOU TWO ARE BIG GIRLS!!! YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS!!!" Genkai snapped back at Kumori. She sighed and then continued, "Someday you two will be grown women. I won't always be around to help you, and even if I am, you can't have always have other people make your decisions for you. You have to pick what you are going to do with your life. Even if this is a hard decision, you have to make it. Not me. Not Koenma. Not even your parents or guardians. This is a decision that is all up to you. You can keep your friend in obliviousness, and hope for both her and your sakes that she doesn't have enough Spirit Energy to see demons and other crap. Or, you tell her and let Koenma's punishment fall on you, but, you'll have her prepared for any attacks from demons. But either way, as I said before, the decision is yours."

Kumori looked at Genkai and sighed. She said with a sad smile, "There is no way we're going to get you to make the final decision, is there Genkai?"

"No," Genkai replied, a grim smile on her face.

"All right." Kumori stood up, turned to Hikari, and said, "I guess we better get home, eh, Hikari?"

Hikari nodded and stood as well. "Yeah," she said, "Otherwise, my uncle might get mad…"

"Well, that settles it," Kumori said. She turned to Genkai, "I guess we'll see you later. I better get back before Akira and her family does and Hikari's missed dinner. I'll visit again."

"Hmph," Genkai said, "Next time, make an appointment. I don't like my dinner being interrupted."

Hikari leaned over to Kumori and said, "I told you so…"

Kumori and Hikari bowed and said their goodbyes to Genkai. As they were about to leave, Kumori turned and said, "I haven't seen Yukina. Is she asleep?"

"Yeah. She did a lot of work today. I sent to bed just a few minutes before 6," Genkai replied.

"Oh. Tell her I said hi," Kumori said.

"Ooh! Tell her I said hi too! And I'm sorry that I haven't visited… I've been busy at my house," Hikari said. She turned to Kumori, "We should visit her more often right?"

"Yeah, I bet she's been lonely with no one her own age to talk to except the idiot," Kumori said, agreeing with Hikari.

"I'll tell her," Genkai said.

Both girls bowed at Genkai and began walking down the stairs. Hikari turned to Kumori as they began to walk. "So…" she said.

"So…" Kumori said, repeating Hikari.

"What do you think we should do?" Hikari asked, looking at Kumori.

"About Akira?"

"Well, of course! You live with her 24/7 Kumori! You should know her better than me! So, that means you decide what we do!"

"Hmm," Kumori said, as she began to brood over her answer. She said, "I believe we should listen to Koenma's decision… for now."

"Why?" Hikari asked, surprised at Kumori's answer. Kumori didn't like to take orders from anyone, much less Koenma. In fact, she hated it with every fiber of her being.

"Because," Kumori said, "I have a bad feeling about telling her."

"Oh, one of your cat senses?" Hikari asked.

"No! You know as well as I that I don't predict the damned future!!!" Kumori snapped. She sighed and said quietly, "It's just an odd feeling. Like something bad is going to happen to Akira if we don't keep our mouths shut. So I'm gonna keep mine shut until Koenma finally decides to tell Akira."

"Ok!" Hikari said, "Then I will too! Just to make it easier on you, and so you're not alone in not telling Akira! Should we tell Kurama or Hiei or anyone else what we discussed with Genkai?"

"Mmm... No. Koenma's probably told them already. We should probably get going. It looks late."

"Right," Hikari agreed.

Both girls began to speed off. All the trees flew by, transforming into the city and within 15 minutes, Kumori and Hikari were at Hikari's house. Hikari shifted back into her human form, and smiled at Kumori. She waved goodbye as she turned into her aunt and uncle's house and went inside.

Kumori sighed and sped off to the Wagerman's house. Kumori sighed as she was back in her room. She felt her stomach growl and she went down to the refrigerator. She opened it to see some of Akira's fried chicken sitting in a plastic container.

Kumori smiled softly. Akira knew that fried chicken was one of her favorite dinners to eat. She got a plate and put the chicken on a plate. She set it up to heat 1for 45 seconds in the microwave.

As the sound of popping chicken reached her sensitive cat ears, she realized it would be odd if the Wagermans came home to see her with cat ears and a tail. She reverted back to her human self and she looked at the time. It read 9:55. An hour and 5 minutes until Akira came home.

As the timer went off, Kumori smelled the chicken's aroma as it filled her nose. She pulled it out and began to eat it. She knew it was _supposed_ to be good, since she had had it before. But the taste was off somehow. Kumori guessed it was because she knew that it might be the last time she ate Akira's cooking.

She sighed as she finished it and walked upstairs. She changed into her pajamas and went into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and quickly brushed her hair.

As she walked into her bedroom, she looked at the window. When she looked at the window, she received a surprise. Sitting on her windowsill was, though she couldn't believe it, _Hiei_. Hiei had _never _come to visit at any house Kumori had been living in before.

She said, a bit in surprise, "Hiei? What the hell are you doing here!?"

"Kurama asked me to check up on you, baka. He said you seemed different from your normal self, and he asked me to handle it since he said his _human_ family had something planned that he had to attend." Hiei had said human with a touch of disgust, but it didn't bother Kumori. The only thing that did bother her is that is was about Kurama's family, but other than that, she could've cared less.

Kumori hated humans. In fact, Akira, her family, Hikari's family, Kurama's human family, and a few others were the only exceptions. Kumori never even called humans human. She called everyone, except her exceptions, Homo-sapiens, which was the lowest thing she could call anyone.

"Ok…" Kumori said, with her eyebrow twitching slightly, "Now I have another question. Why the hell are you in my room?"

"Hn," Hiei answered.

Kumori sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get anything else from Hiei. Once he started on his famous 'Hn', there was no way to get him to answer anything that was relative to the question. She turned to her bed and sat down on it. Suddenly a thought came to her.

"Hiei?"

"What do you want, onna?"

Kumori was about to answer when she heard the door open. "Crap!" she said.

"What is it?" Hiei asked his voice more hostile.

Akira's voice traveled up the staircase, saying, "Kumori? Are you asleep?"

Kumori quickly ducked under the covers and went into her sleeping position. She saw from her half-closed eyes Hiei vanish. Then, the door creaked.

"Kumori?" Akira said softly.

Kumori slowed her breathing and didn't respond. Akira, thinking that Kumori had gone to bed, closed the bedroom door. Kumori knew that Hiei hadn't probably stayed, and if he had, he wasn't going to reappear anytime soon.

Minutes passed and Kumori quietly turned into her half-demon form to listen. A few minutes after Kumori heard the light switch on Akira's lamp click off, the book Akira had been reading set down, and Akira's breath slow, Kumori quietly got up and walked into Akira's room.

The balcony doors were opened slightly, letting in a cool breeze. Kumori noticed everything looked silver since the pale moonlight was bathing everything in soft silver light. Everything looked odd, being totally silver. Everything except Akira's face.

Akira's face, bathed in the moonlight, made her look like an angel. Her motherly features were beautiful, bathed in silver and Kumori couldn't help feeling a bit sad. Kumori knew that Akira had the qualities that Mitsuko had been looking for in a successor for the Demon's Heart and the thought of having to lose her friend to her fate nearly broke Kumori's heart.

Kumori thought about how Akira world would change, all because of Mitsuko. Akira would never have the life she had told Kumori she wanted. Her footsteps would now always be haunted by demon ones. She wouldn't be able to visit her family when she had moved out of the house. But worst of all, Akira had confided to Kumori that she wanted to find and marry a person who would love her and cherish her as her father had done for her mother. Now, thanks to Mitsuko, that would never happen.

Kumori thought about what Mitsuko had written as she looked at Akira's sleeping face, filled with innocence. The words haunted her. How could this happen?!?! Why did Mitsuko have to curse the stupid Heart?! Why did she have to destroy Akira's future?!?! Why!? Why?!? Kumori hit her fist on Akira's desk in confusion and anger as Mitsuko's last words filled her head.

_As I die, I place a curse on this heart of mine. That it shall destroy whatever person comes across it. Except save one. One who it will bind itself to and give my full power. And to that person I give a warning I pray they will heed. My heart should never be removed without the new owner's consent. But once it is worn for over ten years, if it removed against the owner's will, it will remove part of her soul. But, that is not my warning. My warning to you, my successor, is to be wary of the world. For it will try to cause you great and awful pain, the same pain they gave me before my execution. If you are not my successor, but are reading this, I ask you to find her and deliver the message. To find her, I give you two clues: She will be a kind and gentle hearted young lady and she will be a human who loves a demon…_

_Farewell and until we meet again,_

_Mitsuko_

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Ending comments: Ok, I hoped you enjoyed! Please oh please review people! I write faster, plus I love it when you review!!


	5. Chapter 5

Manga Maid's Notes and Comments: Hi people! I'm back! But I am leaving again in 2 days. BIG DANG. This was edited by Tsuki Kiba Kumori who I now owe 123,456,789 chocolate cookies, 234,567,891 chocolate cakes, 345,678,912 chocolate pies and a billion other chocolate things. But altogether I owe her over 703,703,625 chocolate in pies, cakes and cookies alone. Man, that's a lot. So here you are Tsuki! I hope you like all the chocolate! But to my dear, dear reviewers, you have been patient and sending me wonderful reviews (which I love) so I decided to reward you all with Chapter 5. I hope you like it.

Also To Death101-Fox Version: No, the chicken was NOT poisoned. Sometimes, when you are worried for someone or something bad has happened, food just tastes off. I remember a few years back, when my loving mom got sick, all the food I ate tasted like cardboard.

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Akira woke up to the pitter-patter of rain falling on the house as she tried to calm herself. She sat up and looked around. It was dark, but Akira couldn't make out if it was day or night with the dim light from the balcony doors. Worried she had only been asleep for a few minutes, Akira looked at the time. It read 4:00 A.M.

She sighed in relief. Then she noticed that she had left the balcony doors open. That was odd. She thought she had closed them. She got out of bed and walked over to shut the doors. As she approached, she heard a creak and saw a tall, yet dim shadow out in the rain on her balcony. She could barely see the outline against the dark sky. She snuck over to see who or what was out on her balcony. As her eyes focused and adjusted, she saw it was a human, standing under something. She began to get closer to get a better look.

As she took a step, the floorboard creaked. The person, who must have been facing away from the room, spun around. Akira saw the person's head move to look at the bed, and then it turned towards her. Then they saw her.

Their eyes, widened in surprise, stared into her oceanic ones. She couldn't see the color very well, if at all, but she could tell the person hadn't been expecting to see her awake. Fear radiated off her body.

Akira stood petrified. Like a bird locked with a snake's eyes. She couldn't move, but she felt she'd better try to scream. What if this person was going to kill her? Or worse? She began to suck in air to scream.

When she opened her mouth, a hand suddenly covered her mouth. She looked at the person, who had rushed up to her, now frightened at what they would do. All they'd have to do was cover her nose and she'd be dead in a few minutes.

The person stared, not at her, but back at the balcony, as if something was over by it. After a few more moments, they unexpectedly released her. They turned back to the edge of the balcony and glanced at her. Then they vanished. As they vanished, the big thing they had been standing under vanished as well.

Akira quickly ran outside to see if she could see who that had been. No luck. They were gone. She turned to look at the spot they had been standing in. It was dry, only now were raindrops falling into the spot.

She stood out in the rain for a few moments, letting the rain fall on her. It was peaceful. She looked up at the sky for a moment, and then went inside.

She closed the door behind her and went to her desk. She saw that something had put a little dent in the desk. It hadn't been there when she went to bed. She figured she must be tired, and crawled back into bed. Sleep came quickly. Soon after, the person reappeared on the balcony, watching her sleep with forest green eyes before turning around again.

An hour and a half later…

Akira opened her eyes as the alarm went off. 5:30 A.M. She got up and looked outside. The rain had stopped and it had dried off the balcony. She closed the doors, went over to the dresser, and grabbed her uniform.

She walked out of her room and tiptoed past her siblings and Kumori's closed doors. She went into the bathroom, slipped off her clothes, and walked into the shower. She turned on the shower.

The cold water startled her, making her muscles tense, but after it had warmed up, she felt her body relax. She reached out of the shower for her shampoo and conditioner from the shelf full of different shampoos and conditioners.

After she had found them, she poured the shampoo on her hand, and began to massage her scalp, all the while rubbing shampoo through her long brown locks. As she massaged her scalp, she began to think of the person who she had seen on her balcony. Who were they? Why were they on the balcony? Why had they been facing the other way?

She shook her head, trying to forget what had happened and prepare for school, as she let water wash out the shampoo. She showered for about ten more minutes. Then she stepped out and put on her underwear.

Akira looked at herself in the full length mirror her mother had insisted on putting the bathroom. There were bruises covering her extremities and stomach, cuts covering everywhere, and, if she turned to look at the back, she could see a huge bruise forming on her back.

She shuddered at her own image as thoughts of how she got the wounds flooded into her mind. She shook her head, pulled her uniform on, and brushed her hair. After she finished, she looked at herself again. Now, she looked fine. No bruises or cuts were showing.

Akira smiled grimly. If only she could wear shorts and short sleeved shirts again. She had purposely ruined her gym clothes in America so many times in the past that her mother had given up buying new ones. In fact, Akira's mom, just so she didn't have to go through the whole process of buying gym clothes over and over, had asked for Akira to do Gym class at home, and had explained to the principal, Mr. Takanaka, that her daughter just simply wouldn't wear the gym uniform. Takanaka, after hours of persuasion, finally gave in to the single mother's request. In return, Akira would do work for him and the other teachers during that period.

Akira stepped out of the bathroom and tiptoed down the stairs, into the kitchen. She went to the refrigerator and began to look for something to make breakfast out of. Finally, she found some food and began to cook.

After she finished, she looked at the time. 6:30 A.M. Akira's eyes widened as she realized school started in a half-hour.

She quickly ran to the cupboard full of food and picked out two muffins and a couple of pieces of fruit. She set them down on the counter and closed the door to the cupboard. Then, she ran up the stairs, down the hall, and into Kumori's room.

Inside Kumori's room Akira saw Kumori asleep in her bed, balled up on one side, like she normally slept. Her red streak was covering her face and was softly moving with her breath. She looked so peaceful, so innocent, and so… so…childlike that it was hard to believe that this sleeping girl was Kumori Aisubachi, the hyper, ice-cream loving, crazy yet tough 15 year old girl that was Akira's best friend.

Akira knew that waking up Kumori would mean certain death, but she'd rather deal with an angry Kumori than a disappointed mother. She took a deep breath and began to shake Kumori awake. Kumori quickly woke up.

"ARGH!! Who the fuck is waking me up now?!" Kumori snapped as she sat up. She turned to Akira and surprised to see her friend was the culprit, said, "Akira? What the hell? What are you doing waking me up this damned early?!"

"Kumori! Shut your mouth!" Akira said, glancing at the door. "If my mother hears you… She won't be happy." Then, Akira said, offended, "And where do you get off using that language with me? When you wake me up I don't use that language!! I'm trying to do you a favor!! We have a half-hour before school starts!!"

"We do? Shit!!!" Kumori yelled, quickly grabbing her uniform, and running out to the bathroom. Akira heard the door slam. She left Kumori's room and quickly ran into her mother's bedroom. When she ran into the bedroom, her mother woke up.

"Akira? What's going on?" Akira's mother asked as she groggily looked at her third eldest.

"Hey, Mom! I'm sorry, but you have to get everyone else up. Kumori and I are going to be late to school if we don't hurry. I cooked breakfast for you all," Akira said.

"Aw, that's sweet, Akira! Thank you! I'll make sure to get everyone up! You and Kumori get going. We'll be fine!" her mother said.

"Thanks Mom! I owe you!" Akira said, running into the hall. She ran back into her room and grabbed her bag for school. As she came out of her room, Kumori came out of the bathroom.

Kumori's hair was brushed, her uniform was on, but she looked tired and grumpy. She grumbled as she walked past Akira, into her room, and out with her bag for school. She looked at Akira, and said, annoyed, "Well, I guess we better get going." Akira nodded in agreement.

Akira ran down the stairs, while Kumori slid down the banister. Both girls grabbed a muffin and a piece of fruit, quickly ate, and ran out the door.

As they ran, Akira began to think about the mysterious person who had been outside her window. She thought, '_Who was that last night? It was too dark to see anything but a faint outline. I know they weren't facing me, but why? It was like they were guarding me? Nah, that's stupid. Why would I need guarding? Maybe it was a dream. Yeah, just a dream. But then, why did I know this morning there would be a dent in my desk? I know it wasn't there last night. Oh, I don't know…_' Her face clouded over with confusion as her thoughts took over.

"Hey, Akira? Something wrong?" Kumori asked, tilting her head as she asked the question.

"Hmm?" Akira said, jarred out of her thoughts. She blinked and looked at Kumori. "What?"

"Is something bothering you? You seem out of it," Kumori said annoyed.

"Mm, just a weird dream I had last night," Akira replied. They slowed down as they were reaching the school. Hikari saw them and ran up to them.

"Hi Kumori! Hi Akira!" she yelled as she glomped both girls into a huge hug.

"Oomph!" Akira said, caught off guard. Then, she hugged Hikari back. "Hi Hikari. How was your weekend?"

"It was… ok," Hikari said, reluctant. Then, she went back to her normal perky self as she said, "How was yours? Tell me everything that happened!"

"Um…" Akira stalled, trying to figure out how to explain to both Kumori and Hikari that she was had heard a voice in her head. "Well…"

Just then, the bell sounded for class. Akira sighed. '_Saved by the bell!_' she thought as all three girls rushed to class.

Later in the day, at the last period of school…

Akira looked straight ahead, ignoring her teacher, Mr. Iwamoto, as he was going on and on about how rotten apples or cockroaches ruin the school's wonderful reputation or something to that extent. She was annoyed. She came to learn, not to hear about cockroaches and stuff like that all because Yusuke Urameshi had skipped class. But now to her, it seemed he had had the right idea.

She glanced down, out of the window and took a double take. Outside was a thing that looked like a human, but mixed with a fish. It was huge. It looked big even though she was on one of the higher levels. It had pasty grayish-blue skin, sharp teeth poking out from the bottom lip, webbed hands and feet, gills, and a spiky dorsal fin running from the top of head and down the back. But the worst part, were its eyes.

They were about the size of a human's eyes, maybe a bit bigger, but the head's size made them look small and beady. The eyes were bright yellow and glowing with a sinister light. But, as Akira stared, it turned and stared at her, eyes unblinking and it smiled.

Akira gasped and fell out of her desk from surprise. Her body sprawled out as she hit the floor. She quickly got up, went to her seat, and looked at the teacher, her cheeks growing red as several students giggled.

Mr. Iwamoto stopped speaking, turned to class, noticed the giggling children looking at Akira, and glared at her. He said, "Ms. Wagerman is there a problem?"

"N-N-No sir," Akira said, embarrassed. She looked at the desktop, her cheeks growing even redder.

"Then why were you out of your seat?" Mr. Iwamoto said, his voice growing irritated and angry. All the students, except for the ones who were sleeping, looked at her, eyes filled with curiosity.

"Well sir…" Akira said, keeping her eyes to the ground as her cheeks grew darker than Shuuichi's hair, "If I told you, I don't think you'd believe me, unless it's still there."

"Really now," Mr. Iwamoto said, now sounding amused. "Well, please. Do share what you think I wouldn't believe."

Akira glanced at the window. The thing was still there. She took a deep breath, pointed at the window, and said, "I saw something out there."

Mr. Iwamoto looked and scoffed, "Something? There's nothing there."

Akira looked at the window. It was still there. She said, "You don't see it?"

"See what? The school grounds?" Mr. Iwamoto said, his tone slightly mocking.

"No, that- never mind," Akira said, dropping the subject.

Mr. Iwamoto said, "What Ms. Wagerman? What do you see out there? "

"Nothing sir," Akira said, her tone quiet as she became interested in the top of her desk.

"Wagerman, did you see anything out there or not!?" Mr. Iwamoto asked, now getting annoyed.

"No sir," Akira said, still looking at her desk. Her cheeks flared again.

"So then, what caused you to interrupt my lecture?" Mr. Iwamoto snapped at Akira.

"Nothing," Akira said.

"Very well, then. Wagerman, go out in the hall," Mr. Iwamoto said, pointing at the hall.

Akira stood up and went out into the hall. Mr. Iwamoto pointed to a wall and told her to stand there for the rest of class. She did as she was told and stared ahead at the windows facing out to the school's entrance.

Soon, Akira heard Mr. Iwamoto yelling again and an angry Kumori came out to stand out with Akira. Kumori's eyes widened and she blinked in surprise as she looked at Akira.

"Akira?" Kumori asked, her voice held the tone of surprise Akira expected it to. "What are you doing out here?"

"I interrupted the class. You?" Akira asked, turning to face her best friend.

"I fell asleep in Mr. Hard-ass's class," Kumori said. She turned to glare at the door. She stuck out her tongue. After she finished, she turned to Akira and asked, "Akira? You are one of the best-behaved students here! How the hell did you interrupt the class?"

"Kumori, do you mind if I tell you something?"

"Of course not! We're best friends aren't we? You can tell me anything," Kumori assured Akira.

"Ok…" Akira took a deep breath and said, "I… well… IthinkI'mbeingstalked."

"What?" Kumori asked.

"I… I… I think I'm being stalked," Akira said, much slower, fear shrouding her face.

"Why do you think that?" Kumori said, her confused face matching her tone.

"Kumori, I'll understand if you don't believe me on this. I'm not even sure if what I saw this morning and today is even possible or makes sense, but I just feel I need to tell someone about this," Akira said keeping her calm.

"Ok? Well, what is this weird thing you want to tell me?" Kumori asked, her brow furrowing.

"Well, I caught someone on my balcony last night… Well, early this morning," Akira said.

"What?" Kumori looked at Akira, surprised. In her eyes there was a flicker of something else, but Akira couldn't tell what it was. Anger? Kumori asked, "Did you see their face?"

"No… Well, I saw their eyes. But it was too dark to make out the color… In fact, the only reason I could tell in was a human was because I got close enough to see the outline. But, it was very faint. It was way too dark to make out anything distinctive."

The face Kumori made was confusing. It was _relieved_. Why would Kumori be relieved that Akira didn't see the person who had been on her balcony that morning? It didn't make any sense to Akira at all.

"Kumori?" Akira asked, gaining back her friend's attention. She said, "That's only the first part. You asked me why I interrupted Mr. Iwamoto's class. Well, I saw something."

"What? Something?" Kumori asked, "What did you see?"

"I saw this… this... _thing_ out on the grounds. It was like a fish-human thing. I doubt it's still there, but I thought it was."

"What did it look like?" asked Kumori, alarmed.

"You want to hear what it looked like? You probably won't believe me if I tell you," Akira said doubtfully.

"Just tell me, Akira," Kumori said impatiently.

"Ok… First, it was huge. I don't know how big. But it was just huge. It had pasty skin, you know like when someone is sick and has been staying inside for a long time?" Akira asked. Kumori nodded, and Akira continued, "But, instead of normal skin color, its skin was grayish-blue. It had sharp teeth, webbed hands and feet, gills, and… Oh! It had a spiky dorsal fin running from the top of head and down the back."

"Did you see the thing's eye color?" Kumori asked.

Akira shuddered. "Yes," she said, "I did."

"What color were they?" Kumori asked.

"They were yellow," Akira said, "And _glowing_."

"Glowing? How do you know that?" Kumori asked Akira, her body tensing as she looked at her best friend.

"Because…" Akira shuddered. "It looked at me and smiled. It was like it was looking for me and it had finally found me. But, I don't even know what the thing is, much less why it's looking for me. I don't know what to do, Kumori! Do you think that I'm losing it?"

"No! Of course not," Kumori said. Then, she asked, "Will you answer a question I have?"

Akira nodded.

Kumori asked, "Could Mr. Iwamoto see it?"

"No," Akira said, as it hit her, "That's the odd part. I could see it, plain as day, but Mr. Iwamoto couldn't see it at all."

"Ok," Kumori said.

The bell rang. Everyone began to exit their class. Kumori dashed into the classroom and came out with Akira and her bags. Kumori handed Akira's bag to her and both began walking toward the gate.

Hikari, who came from another class, caught up with both girls. She said, "Hey you two!"

"Hey Hikari," Akira replied.

"Hey," Kumori said.

"Hi! Well, I was talking to Keiko and she told me that she wanted to get started on that project we have due in a couple of weeks. She said that we should find a place to work on it together," Hikari said.

"Um, Hikari," Kumori said, "We'd love to, but we have certain… _problems_ that have come up." When Kumori said problems, she gave Hikari a meaningful look.

"Problems? What the- Oh!" Hikari said, understanding. "Do you want me to tell Gen-?"

"No," Kumori quickly cut off, "I'll deal with it. You and Keiko should go and try to find a spot we can all work together. Ok?"

"Ok," Hikari said reluctantly.

As they went out to school grounds, Hikari saw Keiko and ran off after her. Kumori and Akira looked out to their pathway and saw, to their surprise, Shuuichi and Kokoda waiting for them.

"Hello, Akira-san. Kumori-san," Kokoda said.

"Good evening," Shuuichi said.

"Shuuichi-san? Kokoda-san?" Akira asked and surprised, she dropped her bag, things spilling everywhere. Her cheeks flushed bright red as she began to gather everything back up. Shuuichi knelt to help her pick up her things.

When they finished, Akira flushed as Shuuichi helped her up, while Kumori said, "Hi guys! Why are you two here?"

"Didn't Akira's mother tell you?" Kokoda asked. When Kumori didn't answer, he said, "We're having dinner at your family's house."

"We knew that," Kumori said, "Akira's mom is closing the studio at 6 for that. But still, that doesn't explain why you came to pick us up."

Shuuichi said, "Mother and Father are going to be a while. Father had some paperwork to do today, and Mother wants to wait for him. So she called today and asked your mother if it would be alright for us to go to your house with you."

"Well, it's over an hour to get from the studio to our house. My mom won't be home until after 7. Are you sure you want to wait that long?" Akira asked hesitantly, becoming a little nervous.

"We'll be fine," Shuuichi said.

"Well, I guess it's all right…" Akira said. She trailed off as she felt something behind her. She glanced behind her shoulder, expecting to see the fish thing, but saw no one. She shook her head.

"Akira-san?" Kokoda asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I'm fine, Kokoda-san," Akira said, smiling at Kokoda. But underneath the happy face or her façade, Akira shivered at the ominous presence she had felt. She flashed a glance over her shoulder, and after assuring herself that nothing was there, she said, "Well, we'd better get home or Akane will worry about us, Kumori."

"Hai," Kumori said slowly. After they had all began to walk, Kumori tugged on Shuuichi. When he looked at her, she said, in such a quiet voice that only he could hear, "Kurama, I need to talk to you." When he looked at her to signal her to go on, she added, "In private."

Shuuichi raised his eyebrows, turned to Kokoda and Akira, who had stopped to wait for them, and said, "Kokoda, why don't you and Akira head up on ahead? Kumori and I will catch up."

Kokoda nodded. Akira furrowed her brow a little bit. She looked nervous.

"It'll be fine, Akira! You go ahead. We'll only take a couple of minutes," Kumori said, trying to assure Akira to go on.

Akira nodded grudgingly. She said, "Come on, Kokoda-san. I think this is a private conversation."

"Oh… O-O-Okay," Kokoda said. He had been caught off guard a little by Kumori and Shuuichi wanting to be alone. He nodded and followed Akira as she led the way on to her house.

After they were out of ear shot, Kurama said, "Kumori, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well," Kumori said, "I want to know how the hell you, an infamous thief of Demon World, who is _known_ all around for being the King of Thieves and _never_ being caught, gets caught by a human girl who is _not _supposed to know he is watching her!!!"

"Kumori, let me explain," Kurama said, sighing. He figured this might happen.

"Well, get to it!" Kumori snapped.

"When Akira woke up, I was… preoccupied," Kurama said.

"Preoccupied with what?" Kumori said, still annoyed with Kurama.

"It appears the Demon's Heart is releasing small, but noticeable, amounts of energy. It's very different from most energy a demon would feel here. So last night, some demons apparently decided to see what has been emitting this energy. I was busy distracting them when I noticed she had seen me," Kurama explained. In a few minutes, his brow furrowed and he asked, "Did she recognize me?"

"No. It was too dark for her eyes to recognize you," Kumori said, "But our problems get worse. She thinks she's being stalked. I was asleep in class, but Akira saw a demon. At least, I think it was a demon."

"But that means the Demon's Heart has risen Akira's awareness," Kurama said, now alarmed.

"I know," Kumori said, "But, that's not what worries me. She says it acted like it was looking for her. What worries me is what we decide do and how Koenma will react. I'm not sure what will happen if we disobey him."

"I believe I can shed a little light on that matter. But we should probably start following them," Kurama said. After they began to follow Kokoda and Akira, Kurama continued, "Now that it's sending enough energy to attract demons, Koenma may or may not let us make our own decision. If he does, we have to tread lightly on the matter. You see, he will want Akira to work for him or use her as bait for criminal demons. And our decision will matter greatly. If we decide to tell Akira everything, he will make her work for him. If we don't, he will use her blindness as a lure for demons. After all, what could be more perfect to a demon? She would be a source of powerful energy and when she saw them, fear would enter her body and take over. Fear always makes a spirit more tantalizing to demons."

"I know! So how do we get out of this mess?" Kumori asked frustrated.

"I'm afraid I have no ideas on how to help her," Kurama said, "I suggest we tell her what's happening and try to keep her from being one of Koenma's workers."

"Damnit Kurama! You don't understand! I don't want her to know anything about this!" Kumori burst out. Hot, angry tears of frustration fell down her face. She said, "Akira's suffered enough in this life! Why do these things happen to her? She's a kind, innocent person! Why does all of the crap in the world have to happen to her? Why?! Why!?!?! WHY!?!?!" Kumori's tears began to flow faster. She hastily wiped at them.

"Hey!" Akira yelled back to them. She asked, "Are you two coming? We're here!"

They looked to see that Akira was right, they were at the house.

"We're coming!" Kumori yelled. She ran to catch up. Kurama quickly followed suit.

As they came up, Akira asked, "Kumori? Are you ok? You look like you've been crying."

"I'm fine!" Kumori snapped. Akira flinched. Kumori's face softened. She apologized, "I'm sorry, Akira. Something's come up."

Akira nodded and she opened the door. She yelled, "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri…" Akane's quiet voice came. It was quivering, like Akane was about to cry.

Akira rushed into the house. She said, "Akane? Where are you?"

Akane came out from the family room. She looked frightened. Her face was pale and her big brown eyes were tear-filled. Tears were already leaking down her face.

"Akane?" Akira rushed over to her little sister. She knelt down and began to wipe her face. "What happened Aka-chan?"

Akane looked at the other three in the room, wiped her eyes, and said, pointing at her left knee, "I fell after lunch and hurt my knee!"

Akira checked the knee. Nothing was injured. Nothing at all. Suddenly, Akira realized what Akane was trying to say. She said, "Where'd you hurt your knee Aka-chan?"

"In the closet," Akane said, wiping her eyes.

"Ok." Akira turned to Kumori, Shuuichi, and Kokoda. She said, "I have to go upstairs and check out the closet and see what Akane hurt herself on. The family room is the one Akane came out from, um… I think Kumori can show you the rest of the rooms here. Other than that, make yourselves at home."

Akira picked up Akane and rushed upstairs. She went to the closet. It was locked on the outside. Little sobs were sounding from the closet. Akira opened the locks and the twins and the triplets came rushing out.

"What happened?" Akira said, brushing Yuki's tears off his face.

"Sakura came home for lunch," Akane said, "She had that pink face again. She got mad at us 'cause we made a mess of the counter. So she locked them in the closet. I ran away and hid behind the couch."

Akira felt her heart break. How could Sakura do this their younger siblings? They were little children! She said, "I'm sorry. I should've been here to help you. Now, I'm guessing some of you have to use the bathroom."

Several heads nodded. After everyone used the bathroom, Akira said, "Now, Shuuichi and Kokoda are here and-!"

But she was cut off as the younger kids except for Akane and Tsubaki yelled for Shuuichi and ran down the stairs to find him. Akira smiled and shook her head as she picked up Akane and Tsubaki and followed them.

The rest of the night went well. Akira prepared dinner until her mother showed up, and soon after, Shiori and Hatanaka appeared. Dinner's conversation mainly consisted of school and how everyone's day went. Soon, dinner was over with and Akira put the younger kids to bed. When she came back down, the group had moved into the living room.

Now the conversation was Minori and Shiori talking and reminiscing about their pasts when they were girls. Minori blushed as Shiori brought up a memory of Minori and another friend putting graffiti on a teacher's door.

"I almost forgot about that," Minori said, turning redder than an apple.

"Mom!" Akira said, surprised at her mother, "You did that?"

"It was a long time ago, Akira," Minori said, embarrassed, "I was a teenager. I didn't think very clearly during that time in my life."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe what she did when she was younger," Shiori said, laughing. "I remember one time when she and this other girl, I think her name was Ayano?"

"Ayame, actually," Minori corrected. Then she laughed, "Oh, how I hated her."

"Really?" Kumori said, "What happened?"

"Well," Shiori said, "When we were in high school, Minori and Ayame had a crush on the same boy."

"Daisuke Yamamoto," Minori sighed. She said, "He was handsome, smart, a great athlete… Pretty much every girl's dream guy."

"Yes," Shiori said, "Well, in school it was well-known Daisuke liked girls with long hair. Ayame had long hair and Minori's hair wasn't that long. So to get at her, Minori… She… She…" Shiori began to laugh.

"What did you do, Mrs. Wagerman?" Kokoda asked.

"She put a huge wad of gum in her hair!" Shiori laughed.

"WHAT!?!?!" Kumori and Akira shrieked.

"Well," Minori said, "I say it's time for these girls to go to bed."

"What?" Kumori said, indignant.

"Mom…" Akira whined, "It was just getting good."

"Yes, well. You have school tomorrow," Minori said, with a parental tone in her voice.

"So do Shuuichi and Kokoda," Kumori said grumpily.

"Well, I'm not their caretaker. Now, say goodnight and go to bed."

"Night guys," Kumori said, unhappy that she had to go to bed.

"Good night," Akira said, smiling. But her smile was a melancholy one. She didn't like the idea either.

Both girls went up the stairs. They began to quietly chat. As they were about to separate at Akira's door, Kumori said, "How much do you want to bet we had to go to save your mother face?"

Akira laughed, "Kumori, you know I don't gamble. But if I did, I wouldn't bet against you."

"Oh, I knew you were smart," Kumori teased.

Akira opened her door and said, "Good night, Kumori."

"Night." Kumori left for her own room.

Akira shook her head and entered her room. She noticed her balcony doors had been opened again. She furrowed her brow. This time, she _knew_ she hadn't left them open. She walked over to see a rose and a note on her balcony. She picked it up and opened it. It read:

_Akira, _

_I must apologize if my presence this morning startled you. I did not mean to frighten you. For that, I am truly sorry. I am afraid I am not allowed to tell you who I am or why I was there. But please, know I am not following you. I would be grateful if you would accept this rose as an apology._

Akira looked at the blood red rose. She smiled at it and put it in a vase on her desk that held an assortment of flowers from her window box. She looked at it there and left to go and change.

After she changed, she lay in her bed and thoughts began to consume at her. So, the person from this morning was real. Not just a dream. But they were sorry for scaring her.

She slightly smiled at to herself as sleep began to take her over her being. As dreams took her head, she thought maybe, just maybe, it had been the fish thing that was a dream. With pleasant thoughts in her mind, she quickly fell asleep.

However, if she had only known how her life would change in two months, sleep wouldn't have come so easily.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Ending comments: Reviews are loved. Again and again do I read your reviews! You all are my inspiration to keep on writing! Chapter 6 will be up when I get back, hopefully. But I will only be back for 4 days. So I'm sorry if I don't get it up until later! But I will try! That is a promise.


	6. Chapter 6

MangaMaid's Notes: Heyo! It is me with another Chapter! Tuens out I'm leaving in like a few days. We don't have a set time, but it's this week! Thanks to Tsuki for her editing. And thank you my wonderful readers for all your comments. I loved them all! They gave me warm fuzzies. Seriously, I was jumping around for almost an hour because all of the reviews! Oh, I'd like to thank the people who have favorited this story or have it on Story Alert. It really helps me out since I have a bad problem with self-confidence in my writing. All this stuff (Favoriting, reviewing, etc.) makes me feel good about posting this! So THANK YOU ALL! I give you all big bear hugs! Also, everyone I have a poll about Heart's Fate and I wanna see what you think before I close it. Which will be when I post Chapter 7. So have fun with this Chapter. And to Crazy anime chick since 1993, onna means woman. ________________________________________________________________________________________

Akira opened her eyes and saw she was in a forest. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she looked around. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was being in her bed back home. Then, she realized what was going on. It was a dream.

She smelled the air to make sure she wasn't home and instantly wished she hadn't. It smelled like death and blood. It was awful. No, that wasn't the right word. Horrid fit better. Much better.

As she sat down trying to understand her surrounding, a soft female voice spoke to her. "_Akira…_"

Akira recognized the voice. It was the woman's voice from the dance studio. Akira had been hearing for almost two months since the night she had been in the dance studio. It had become a constant companion. But, it didn't bother her in the day. No, the woman, whoever or whatever she was, called to Akira in her dreams. But, it made Akira wonder, why did it call at in her sleep? What was the purpose?

"_Akira…_" It crooned to her, jarring her back to where she was.

Akira stood up and closed her eyes, trying very hard to focus on the voice and not on the stench in the air that set her lungs on fire, made her eyes water, and caused her to almost choke on gag on it. She heard the voice call her name again. She closed her watering eyes and walked blindly, following the faint yet haunting voice.

Finally, after a long walk, she reached a point where the voice was loud enough to be standing right next to her. She opened her eyes to look for the source of the noise. Instantly, she wished she hadn't.

As she looked around, she saw that she had ended up in a dark room. She saw that, in the room with her, there was a woman and two people. The woman she recognized, since every time she had these dreams and she followed the voice, she'd seen this woman. The woman had had long hair at the beginning of her dreams, but it had been cut to shoulder-length, and piercing blue-violet eyes. Akira felt as if the woman knew she was there, since the woman always seemed to stare at her.

Then, Akira grew nervous as she noticed the two people were there. Recently, Akira had been having dreams that the woman was receiving torture. Always, there were two people there delivering it to the woman.

Just then, they took out a knife. Akira gasped, but none of the people paid any attention except for the woman. Then, the people drove the knife into the woman's belly. The woman cried out in screams of agony as blood came out where the knife had plunged in. She stared straight at Akira. Her eyes were glowing with a burning fire as she began to cough out blood. A drop flew from the woman's mouth and hit Akira's cheek. Akira's eyes widened and she resisted the urge to scream and give into the vertigo that hit her like a train.

Scream after scream followed as the knife was plunged deeper into the woman. The woman turned deathly pale, but Akira finally notice why the woman wasn't dying. The wounded skin was _healing_. Rapidly. But, since the knife hadn't been taken out, the skin was healing with the knife embedded in her skin and it caused more pain since the two people cruelly would plunge the knife in deeper after it had healed.

Finally, the two people took out the knife and left the room. The woman fell to the ground, blood pouring out her mouth and her eyes becoming covered in shadow. Then, her head snapped up. She looked at Akira, eyes piercing her on the spot, and started to cough out blood as she faintly said three words.

"_Free me… Please._"

Akira sat up in bed and screamed. She stopped and looked around wildly, as if expecting to see anyone staring at her. Sweat poured down her face. She looked at the time. 3:00 A.M.

Instantly, Akira's door flew open. Kumori, Akira's mother, and all her siblings came rushing in. Akira's mother quickly ran to Akira's bed.

"Akira? What wrong?" Akira's mother asked.

Akira didn't respond as she heaved. She just leaned against her mother as her mother's warm arms wrapped around her. They gave her comfort, a sense of security, letting her know she was safe.

"Akira? What happened?" Her mother asked.

"Nightmare…" Akira gasped out.

"Oh…" Minori sighed. She turned to everyone, and then looked at Akira, who looked on the verge of tears. "Everyone should go back to bed. I want to talk to Akira."

Kohaku nodded and gathered the younger siblings up. She looked at Kumori and Sakura and jerked her head from the door out into the hall to motion to them to follow her. Sakura nodded, rubbing her eyes and following her sister. Kumori frowned, but she followed Akira's siblings and closed the door.

"Akira?" Minori said, "What's going on? You haven't had nightmares that wake you up this frequently since your father died. This isn't normal. Do you know what's causing this?"

"I don't know," Akira said, rubbing her temples with her fingers. She said, "I can't imagine what it would be. Nothing has changed since we moved here. I'm sorry Mom."

"It's all right. Akira, I want you to try to get some rest. I know today's the weekend, but I have to go and work. Also, Shiori said she might check up on you around lunchtime. I suggest you cook for a couple more people."

Akira nodded and leaned back against her pillows. Then, a thought hit her. She asked, "Hey Mom?"

"Yes?" Minori answered.

"Is she coming alone?" Akira asked.

Minori raised an eyebrow. She said, "I don't think so. She said her sons might be coming with her. They were going to spend the day together I believe. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just you said to cook for a couple of people. I just wanted to know why you said a couple of people."

"My, my. Even past 3:00 in the morning you are very observant aren't you?" Minori teased. Then she said, "Get some sleep. I don't think that little sleep is good for you." She got up to leave.

Akira yawned, "Yes Ma'am." She snuggled deep into her warm bed. She felt a bit safer. "Good night."

Minori stopped at the door and smiled. "Good night, Akira." She left.

Akira felt the warmth of the blankets wrap around her body. But as she closed her eyes to sleep, the blue-violet ones of the woman would appear on the back of Akira's eyelids. She felt sleep tug at her body, but she was too frightened to return back to the land of dreams.

She decided to try and see if she could catch the person who had been on her balcony two months ago. She had tried for a couple weeks, but they were evasive and after several failed attempts, she had given up. She looked at the balcony doors to see if anyone was there. No shadow or outline was outside. She sighed and rolled over.

Finally, after a couple of hours of pointless tossing and turning to try and get comfortable, Akira's alarm rang at its set time of 5:00 A.M.. Akira slammed her hand on it. It shut off.

Akira got up and walked to the bathroom to keep with her routine. But as she went to the mirror, her appearance startled her. Her hair was a dripping wet mess of snarls and tangles. Her eyes had dark circles. Her face was pale. But worst was her eyes, they seemed tired and over worked. She blinked and began to work on her hair.

Soon after, she decided she was presentable and went to work on breakfast. After Akira finished the breakfast, she went up to get her mother and siblings. Akira decided to leave Sakura and Kumori asleep. The reasons: Akira knew better than to wake up Kumori on a weekend and around Sakura's bed, the floor was covered in alcohol bottles and on days were there was a possible chance that Sakura might have a hangover, it was best to leave her asleep.

After breakfast, Minori rushed out the door, going off to dance studio, Kohaku soon following her mother to go to her first job. After they left, Akira noticed that all her younger siblings were rubbing their eyes, still sleepy. She put them all back to bed and began to work on her chores.

After she finished her chores, Akira felt sleep tug at her body. She looked to see that it was now 8:00 A.M. She wandered to the T.V. and flipped through the channels. She stopped as she found an anime series she recognized as one of her favorites. She began to watch it. Not even 5 minutes into it, Akira's body had given into sleep and its soothing call.

About an hour later…

Kumori yawned as she woke up. She looked at her clock. 9:00 A.M. She sighed. Everyone must be up by now. She rubbed her eyes and went to her closet. She picked out a black and blood red shirt and black pants. She dressed, brushed her hair, and stepped downstairs.

When Kumori reached the bottom, she expected to see Akira rushing about, trying to watch her younger siblings and keep them out of harm's way as they played, but she was surprised. All that was on was the T.V. No running around, no screaming, not even a quiet hum of the younger Wagerman children trying to be quiet.

Kumori walked over to the couch to find Akira asleep on the couch, curled up in the fetal position. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and blue jeans. Her hair was fanned out behind her and her face looked like she was without a care in the world. She looked so peaceful.

As Akira rolled in her sleep, Kumori saw them. Dark, fist-sized, purple bruises covering Akira's arms. The signs of Sakura's alcohol induced cruelty to her sister. She sighed as she moved a piece of Akira's hair away that had covered her face.

"Damnit Akira," Kumori muttered, "Why do you let this crap happen to you?"

Kumori remembered the day she had found out about the abuse. She was 11 and Akira had been sleeping over at her house. Kumori had left to go wake her mother up for breakfast and she had walked in on Akira changing. She had been shocked to see dark bruises covering Akira's back.

"_Akira, what are __**those**__?" Kumori said._

"_Kumori!__ Oh… uh… um…" Akira bit her lip._

"_Akira… What happened?" Kumori said, surprised as she walked closer to get a better look. Akira put her shirt on and backed away. _

"_They're nothing!" Akira said, trying to wave it off. _

"_NOTHING!!!" Kumori thundered, "Akira, they're __**not **__nothing!" She lifted up Akira's shirt and yelled, "They're bigger than my fist! How did you get them?!"_

_She smiled nervously and laughed. "I-I-I fell."_

"_Why don't I believe that?" Kumori asked. There was venom in her tone._

_Akira shuddered as she turned away from Kumori. She sat on Kumori's bed looking on the floor. Kumori went over on the bed and sat next to her best friend. _

"_Who did it?" Kumori asked gently. _

"_No one," Akira said, not looking Kumori in the face._

"_Akira, you and I both know that's bull!" Kumori snapped. Then she said, again using the gentle tone, "Who did it?"_

"_I-I-I don't wanna say," Akira said sadly. _

"_Your parents?" _

"_No! Dad would never do this to me! And Mom's loves all of her kids! She couldn't harm any of her kids!"_

"_Then who did it?"_

"_Mmm…" Akira hesitated._

"_Akira, tell me! Please! Aren't we friends?" Kumori begged._

"_You know how Sakura's taken to drinking?" Akira asked._

"_Yes?" Kumori pressed. Then it hit her. "Wait… you don't mean?"_

"_Well…" Akira gave a pained smile. "What do you think I'm saying?"_

Kumori sighed as she shook herself from her thoughts and turned off the T.V. She walked into the kitchen and looked for breakfast. She found the leftovers from breakfast and began to reheat it. After it was done, Kumori ate breakfast and went outside to think.

She lay outside on the grass as the wind blew gently, moving her hair slightly. She closed her eyes letting peace sink in and her thoughts take over her mind. Suddenly, she felt a presence appear nearby. It was one she recognized almost instantly.

She opened one of her eyes and glanced at a tree nearby. She sat up, opened the other eye, and stared at it. Then, she closed her eyes again and went back to her original position on the grass. She called up, "Hiei, what are you doing here?"

There was no response. Kumori rolled her eyes. She could feel him manipulating his demonic energy. Besides, his scent was in the air. A musky yet warm smell. But it had a touch of something else, a little bit of cinnamon that, when mixed with the musky smell, teased her nose in just the right way.

She called up, "Hiei, I know you're there. You may be able to manipulate your energy, but you can't control the wind. I can smell you. So, would you answer my question?"

Suddenly, a shadow fell across Kumori's face. She opened her eyes to see Hiei, glaring down at her. She grinned up at him.

"Hey Hiei. What's up?" Kumori asked, still grinning from ear to ear at the anti-social, easy to anger, half fire and half ice demon.

"Hn," Hiei grunted.

"Oh. I see," Kumori said, acting as though he had just given her an explanation of his day. She knew that she was pushing her luck and irritating the hell out him. Then she continued, "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

He said, "Don't get any ideas onna. Koenma sent me. He said he wanted to speak to you about something and he's sent me to watch your human friend."

"Shit!" Kumori snapped, her good mood gone. She groaned, and then said, "When do I have to go?"

"How the hell should I know?" Hiei asked.

"Well, you're the messenger!" Kumori snapped.

"Hn. Well, you know Koenma onna. When do you think you would have to go?"

"Damnit! I'm going to kill Koenma for this!"

"Hn. Learn to wait your turn, onna. If anyone gets to kill him, it is I who will be the first to end his pathetic excuse of a life."

Kumori tensed about to fight, but then said, "I guess you're right. I'd better get going." She began to walk off. She stopped, turned to Hiei, and said, "Be good, Hiei. No killing anyone while I'm gone!"

"Hn."

After Hiei answered, Kumori transformed into her half-demon form. Then, she vanished, going off to meet Koenma. But as she ran to go meet him, she worried over Akira.

Akira woke up, slowly. She wiped her eyes and looked around when she shivered. She had had that feeling before. The feeling of being watched. She slowly turned around and looked everywhere. She asked, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

No answer.

She muttered to herself, "Akira, you idiot. Of course no one's here. You're just paranoid. Now, try to take a deep breath and relax."

Suddenly, a thump from upstairs made Akira jump. She slammed her foot into the couch. She hissed in pain as she sat herself on the couch.

"Crap! Akira, look what you made yourself do!" Akira snapped.

"Akira?" a voice called down slightly slurred.

Akira froze. She knew that voice. She turned to see Sakura stumbling down the stairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura!" Akira greeted, grinning, ignoring the throbbing in her foot. She asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Mmm," Sakura replied, listless.

"Not that well?" Akira asked, smiling sadly.

"No. Kept dreaming that I was beating you," Sakura said, shuddering at the thought. "I'm glad it was only a dream."

Akira's smile only grew sadder. Sakura, since she was under the influence of alcohol, never remembered beating up her little sister, except in her dreams. It was good that Sakura only thought these were dreams, since Sakura would have beaten herself up about it. Akira would rather take a thousand more beatings from her big sister than see her sister beat herself up over something that had happened in the past. That was one of the reasons she didn't tell her mother. Sakura would've suffered from beating herself up over it.

"Hey, Akira?" Sakura asked as she wandered into the kitchen. She began to rummage around in the fridge.

"Yeah? What is it, Sakura?"

"I'm going to a bar with some friends today after I finish breakfast. I probably won't be back until really late," Sakura said. Then she asked, "Can you watch Akane, the triplets, and the twins by yourself?"

"I've done it before," Akira replied. "Hey Sakura, are you sure you want to go to a bar? Mom said that Shiori is coming by to check up on us and she might be bringing Shuuichi-san and Kokoda-san. "

"Yeah, I know. I just don't really feel comfortable around Shiori. She reminds me a little bit of you, you know."

"Really?" Akira furrowed her brow. "How so?"

Sakura stopped rummaging around as she answered. "I don't know. You just do. She reminds me of you too, you know." She stopped and pulled out a carton of orange juice, and poured it into a glass. "And trust me; one of you is enough for me," Sakura finished. She put the orange juice back into the fridge and took a sip of her drink.

Akira laughed and scolded, "Sakura! That wasn't nice!"

"Well… It's the truth!" Sakura replied. Then she said, "Besides, Papa always said that we should be honest with one another. If you can't be honest with your family, who can you be honest with?"

Akira bit her lip as she could hear her father saying the exact same thing. It had been taught to her when she was Akane's age, right after she had stolen a cookie from the plate of freshly baked cookies her mother had made. Her mother had asked her if she had taken the cookie and she had lied about taking it. Her father had caught her eating the cookie and spanked her. Then, while she was crying, her father knelt down in front of her.

"_Akira?" Her father asked. His blue eyes were filled with, not anger, but concern. His brown hair was short and unruly._

"_Daddy?" She looked up at her father. Her big, blue, 5-year-old eyes were filled with tears. _

_He asked, "Akira, do you know why I spanked you?"_

"_I did something bad," she said. _

_He nodded. "You did and you know it. But, I think I need to explain why I spanked you." Akira nodded and he continued, "First, you took a cookie without asking. It would've been okay this one time, but you shouldn't take things that aren't yours. But the reason I spanked you was because you lied about it to your mother and me. Do you know what lying is?"_

_Akira shook her head._

"_Well, lying is when you don't tell the truth."_

"_And that's bad, right?"_

"_Yep. Especially when you lie to your family. Akira, I want to tell you this now, so you know this when you are older. Your family is the group of people in your life that you can always count on. I don't want you to ever feel like you can't tell your mother or me the truth. Do you understand?"_

_Akira nodded. Then she asked, "Am I in trouble?"_

"_Why would you be in trouble?" Her father asked._

"_Because I lied and I took a cookie."_

"_Hmm. Well, it was your first time lying and I think you learned your lesson not to take things that don't belong to you and lying about it this time. So, I think we can let you off the hook this time." _

"_Yay!" Akira cheered. Then she asked, "Daddy, can I have a hug?" _

"_Why, of course you can!" He wrapped his warm arms around Akira. She snuggled into his warmth._

"Hey Akira? I'm going now," Sakura called.

"Hmm?" Akira asked, shaken out of the memory. "Oh, ok. Have… fun…" Akira heard the door slam. She sighed and said, quietly, "Oh, Daddy. I don't want to lie, but if I don't, everyone's going to be sad. What would you do in this situation?"

She shook her head and walked upstairs to go wake up her siblings.

Meanwhile, in Spirit World...

Kumori was sitting in a chair in front of Koenma's desk, very grumpy. Koenma had called her from her peaceful weekend, making her leave Akira in the hands of a demon, and to make matters worse, the demon who she had to leave Akira to was Hiei, and she knew how much he hated humans. Now, he was making her wait!

He finally walked in. He stepped up to his desk and sat in his chair. He stacked some off his papers and looked at Kumori. He cleared his throat. Kumori glared at him.

He spoke, "Good morning, Kumori."

"Hah! Good morning my ass! You called me here and made me leave the Demon's Heart owner in Hiei's care! You know how much he hates humans! You have better have a pretty damned good reason for calling me here!"

"Kumori, please control you temper. I have actually a pretty good reason for calling you here," Koenma said.

"Well?" Kumori snapped.

"Right," Koenma picked up a manila folder and handed it to Kumori. "You tell me."

Kumori opened the folder. It was a picture of a lovely young woman. She was fair and her hair was long and a beautiful golden color. But as she looked at her eyes, Kumori saw that the amethyst orbs were darkly filled with hate and pain. Kumori read her name. Kiyomi.

"That is Kiyomi" Koenma said. "She is an energy apparition."

"Your point?" Kumori asked.

"She's the reason I brought you here."

"How?"

"Kiyomi was Mitsuko's best friend," Koenma explained. Kumori's eyes widened as Koenma went on. "They grew up together. But, Kiyomi lost more than Mitsuko the day Mitsuko died. You see, Kiyomi was married to another energy apparition. The one who actually delivered Mitsuko's diary to us. But after he did so, the elders of the energy apparitions' land, knowing that Kiyomi and her husband had been close friends of Mitsuko's threw them and all the other people who were closely related to Mitsuko out of the land."

"Why?" Kumori asked confused.

"All the people who were close to Mitsuko knew about her tryst with Satoru and they didn't tell the elders as they were supposed to. So they were charged and found guilty of treason and thrown out of the land. Now, we've found that they've started a colony of in a far corner of Demon World. I've called you here to warn you.

"Warn me?" Kumori asked.

"Yes. They found out about your friend being the Demon's Heart owner. According to intelligence we've received, Kiyomi is planning to carry a "rescue mission" as they put it. Basically, they plan to kidnap your friend and drag her to Demon World to train her."

"Train her?" Kumori asked.

Koenma explained, "Train her in how to use the Demon's Heart and its powers. Unfortunately, they have no qualms about killing. They will teach her to kill and how to destroy. When they would be done with her, she would be a trained killer. Heartless, emotionless, and cruel. They would teach her how to torture and she would've learned to enjoy torturing innocent people. She-"

Kumori suddenly interrupted, muttering, "You're wrong."

"Pardon?" Koenma asked.

"You're wrong!" Kumori yelled at the toddler of a prince. "She would never do that! She'd rather die first before taking another life!"

"Kumori! You can't be positive about that!" Koenma said.

"I know her! You know nothing about her! You don't know what she's gone through!" Kumori screamed.

"Ah…" Koenma said, "Does she connect to you on a personal level? Or does she remind you of yourself? Or could it be that she suffering like you did?"

"Watch it!" Kumori said, "I promised Hiei that he could kill you first, but I may break that promise if you keep this up!"

Koenma, ignoring her warning, said, "Or could she be helping you sort out your feelings about your father?"

Kumori suddenly stood up. Her eyes glinted with murderous intent. Koenma froze. Then, Kumori turned away and began to leave.

"Where are you going?" Koenma asked.

"Back home! I'm done listening to you for the day!" Kumori said, stalking off. As she left, thoughts began to plague her.

'_Akira would never take a life! That could never happen?! Could it? I shouldn't even think that! But it's just… just… I don't know. Akira said Kurama might come by with his mother. I'll ask him about it._'

Back to the Wagerman household…

Akira looked at the time and got ready to cook. It read 11:45 A.M. Akira was worried. She hadn't seen Kumori all day. She had checked upstairs and knew that Kumori wasn't in bed still. She wondered where Kumori could've gone to. She decided to start cooking and hope that Kumori would show up.

After she had finished cooking lunch, the front door opened and it shut. Akira looked into the hall to see Kumori walking in. She smiled.

"Kumori! You're okay!" Akira said.

"Of course!" Kumori snapped. Then she stopped and said, "Sorry. I was… out for a walk and some jerk bothered me."

"Oh… Well, don't let it get to your Kumori," Akira said, trying to comfort her best friend. "Whoever it is, they're just a jerk and not worth your time."

"Thanks Akira. I feel a bit better," Kumori smiled a little bit.

"That's what I'm here for," Akira said.

"Heh," Kumori said. "Hey, where are your younger siblings?"

"They're outside," Akira said, when someone knocked on the door. Both girls turned to the door. Akira looked pleadingly at Kumori.

"I'll go get the door," Kumori sighed.

"Thanks Kumori! I owe you one!" Akira rushed back outside to get her siblings.

Kumori walked over to the door. When she opened it, it revealed Shiori, Kokoda, and Shuuichi. She grinned at them.

"Hey everyone! Come in!" Kumori ushered them in.

"Hello Kumori," Shiori greeted. Then she asked, "Where's Akira, Akane, the triplets, and the twins?"

"Akira's getting them back in from out back. They should be inside in a few moments."

As if on cue, all of them came inside. Akane was carrying her crayons and a bunch of papers, the triplets were carrying their favorite toys, and the twins were being carried by Akira. The twins were filthy. Both had mud on their faces, hands, clothes, arms, and legs. They were giggling.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" Akira asked. "Well, now you have to wash up." Then she noticed the guests, "Oh! Hello Shiori-san, Kokoda-san, Shuuichi-san. Uh…" She faltered as she looked at the twins, all covered in dirt.

"Hello Akira," Shiori greeted. She smiled. "You look like you could use some help. Do you want me to help?"

"Help would be nice. Thanks Shiori-san," Akira said, relieved.

As Shiori and Akira went upstairs to clean up the twins, Kumori muttered, "Hey, Kurama. I need to speak with you."

"All right." Kurama followed Kumori as she headed off to the back yard.

When they reached the back, Kumori stopped. She sniffed the air and said, "Hiei! I'm glad you're here! I need to talk to you too!"

Hiei appeared. Kurama greeted, "It's good to see you Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei said.

Kurama asked, "What did you want to speak with us about Kumori?"

"Something Koenma said bothered me. He said there is a group of energy apparitions that want to train Akira."

"Hn. And why does that concern us?" Hiei asked.

"They plan to kidnap Akira and train her to be a killer," Kumori explained.

"Hn." Hiei looked skeptical, but Kurama raised his eyebrows.

"Hiei," Kurama said, "That's nothing to scoff at. If Akira was trained to be a killer, anyone that she wanted dead would end up that way."

"So, you think that Akira would take a human life if she was trained," Kumori stated, disheartened by Kurama's comment.

Realization hit Kurama. He said, "Koenma said the same thing, didn't he? You want our opinion to contradict his."

"Yeah," Kumori confirmed. "Are you sure that Akira could take a life? Koenma said that she could be trained to kill and torture for pleasure."

"Onna, I hate to agree with the child…"

"But you do," Kumori finished.

Hiei turned away and said, "Hn." He vanished.

Kumori looked to Kurama. His face was apologetic.

"Kumori, I'm afraid I've never known anybody who could withstand being taught and forced to kill," Kurama said. "I trained people to kill. I even taught children how to murder. And Hiei learned to kill at a young age."

"But that's you and Hiei! You both did it to survive!" Kumori said, desperate for someone to contradict Koenma.

"Kumori, I apologize, but don't you think Akira would have to adapt to live among those people. She would have to learn. In Demon World, it's a kill or be killed world," Kurama explained.

Kumori looked silently at the ground. She said, "It can't be true."

"Kumori. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," Kurama said.

"You didn't. I just… I can't see her doing that."

"Well," Kurama said, "Instead of asking Hiei and I, why don't you ask Akira herself? She can answer better than anyone else. Now, we'd better get inside."

"I guess," Kumori said, listless.

When they went inside, Akira said, "There you two are! Lunch is read- Kumori? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The look on Kumori's face let Akira know to leave her be.

"Oh, well… Lunch is ready."

Lunch was pretty quiet. The only chatting was Shiori asking Akira questions on how things were going, if there were any problems with the house, was there any fighting, etc., etc. Akira answered every question quickly and soon everyone was eating in silence.

After lunch, Shiori said, "Well, we better be headed on our way. Thank you for lunch, Akira. It was delicious."

"Yeah! Thanks Akira-san," Kokoda said.

"Yes, I agree. Thank you Akira," Shuuichi said.

Akira blushed. "Thank you! Um… I hope to see you all again. I hope you have a good rest of the day."

"Oh we will! May you have a good day too! Goodbye!" Shiori called.

Akira waved and closed the door. She smiled and turned to meet Kumori's depressed face. Akira was confused.

"Kumori?" she asked.

"Hey Akira? I have a question." Kumori was looking at her feet as she spoke. Akira knew she never did that unless it was a hard question to ask. This must be bad.

"Ok… Shoot," Akira said.

"If you were kidnapped and your kidnappers tried to teach you to kill people and enjoy it… Would you?"

Akira was taken by shock. She spluttered, "K-K-Kumori? Where did this come from?"

"Please answer the question."

Akira heard the tone of seriousness in Kumori's voice, so she decided to comply. "I don't think I would. I've been on the receiving end of a loved one dying. Not murdered, of course, but it's painful. I don't think I could willingly take a life. Why do you ask?"

"Just asking." Kumori walked away.

Akira furrowed her brow. Why had Kumori asked that? Kumori knew her well enough to know the answer. Why would she doubt the answer she already knew? Akira felt the sting of Kumori's doubt hit her pride. How could Kumori think so low of her? She would never do that and Kumori knew it! But then, a hauntingly familiar voice touched her mind.

"_You think that you wouldn't take a life, but you don't know. Take my advice, Akira. You will never know unless you are put in that situation._"

Akira gasped. She knew that voice. It belonged to the woman from her dreams. The woman, who was tortured painfully. The woman with the burning eyes.

Then, Akira's world went black and she fell.

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Ending Comments: Yes, it's a cliffie! Sorry, but this the best place I could leave it. To all who reviewed, thank you and please review again! To all who haven't, PLEASE! I'm begging you! Review! Ok. I'm done now. I hope you have a nice rest of the day!


	7. Chapter 7

MangaMaid's Notes: Heyo! (Checks review and poll results). Wooh! 30 reviews and 5 answers!?!? I LOVE you people! I am finally done! The reasons I took so long: 1. Chapter 7 was being annoying and hard to write. 2. It was being written while my family had planned a two week vacation. So I couldn't type it. And 3. On the day before we came home, I crashed my bike in the campsite we had been camping in for about 5 days for a family reunion. I was taken to the ER because I scraped my head and we were worried I had a concussion. I was fine, except I got a black eye, I was scraped-up, and I badly sprained my right wrist. My right hand is my writing hand and the more dominant of my hands when I type. Typing to up to four times as long with my injured hand and it hurt to type. But now, I am back! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and took my poll! Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews! I REALLY needed them with what had happened. And props to **demon of my heart and mind** for coming back and editing! NOW! On with Chapter 7!

To **TheAngelFromYourNightmares**: The Demon's Heart can kill sooner than 5 years. But, by 5 years, anyone who is not the true owner will be dead. And no, Akira's father was one of the lucky few who had it for such a short time, he didn't die by the curse. It will explain how he died this chapter. If he had died by it, Akira would be dead as it makes a person miserable first before it kills them.

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Akira looked around. She was in a crowd of people that she didn't recognize and she didn't recognize the land either. From the looks of things, every female she could see was dressed in a white dress of some sort and every male was dressed in a white tunic and pants. The land was odd, for the sky was a deep, blood red that made it look like sunset and the ground was white and fluffy, so it looked like they were standing on clouds. But that had to be impossible. No one could stand on a cloud, and this place had at least 100 on it.

Akira decided to look to where the people were facing. They were looking at a platform that was raised above the crowd just high enough so everyone could see. There was a man standing on it. He had turquoise hair and his dark forest green eyes were looking at a small crowd of 17 people who were on the other side of the platform. He cleared his throat.

"Hitoshi, Azumi," he said, looking at what looked to a stern-faced man, who had black hair and grey eyes, and sobbing woman, who had blood red hair. Akira couldn't see her eye color as she had her face in her hands. They looked to be the two oldest of the group. The man who had spoken to them continued. "You are the parents of Mitsuko. You both may have known about the serious crime that she's committed. This is a serious crime in itself, not telling the council about her crime. Even though you cannot save your daughter, you can save yourself. Disown your daughter here, in front of everyone, and you can live." He looked at them, trying to give them what Akira guessed was supposed to be a reassuring look. But to Akira, and she was sure the parent thought it too, it looked like it was an unpleasant sinister grin.

The man frowned, clinging to his sobbing wife. He spoke in a quiet, but firm tone. He said, "Masato, you slime. Our daughter is about to be killed for doing what our people, the energy apparitions, have always taught our children: To follow their hearts. She did and it led to loving a human. Now you punish her for it. We would rather die than disown our daughter."

Masato frowned. "Very well. But what do your son, Mitsuo, and his wife Kiyomi, say?"

He turned to a younger, fierce-looking man, who had his mother's blood red hair and his father's grey eyes. He was glaring at Masato. Akira guessed this was Mitsuo. Beside Mitsuo was a blonde woman with startling purple eyes. She looked angry as well, but Akira could see a few tears running down her face.

Mitsuo spoke, "My little sister, Mitsuko, knew what she was doing. My wife and I, though we did not approve of it at the time, still loved Mitsuko and we still do. We will not disrespect her and even after you kill her, we will honor her memory. Mitsuko is Kiyomi's best friend and my sister. We shall never disown nor desert her."

Akira smiled softly as she watched. Mitsuko, whoever she was, should be told what a loving family she had. Mitsuko's family was standing up for her, when they were facing punishment as well.

Masato glared at Mitsuo, who glared back. Then he turned to the others in the group and asked them if they would renounce that they were Mitsuko's friends. All of them, Takumi and his wife Emi, Chika and her two sisters Hana and Kaede, Kimi and her husband Tamotsu, Toshiyuki and his twin brother Yoshiyuki, Ryota and his sister Rie, and Maiko and her husband Rokuro all answered like Mitsuko's family. They were not about to act like they had nothing to do with Mitsuko.

Masato glared at the group. "Very well," he said, coldly. "Since you will not abandon the criminal, Mitsuko, or your crimes of knowing about this and not telling the esteemed council, after the execution, you will be thrown out of our lands. You shall never return!" Guards grabbed the group and dragged them away. Everyone was silent. Then, Masato called, "Let the prisoner, Mitsuko, come forth!"

Akira gasped as she saw the woman that she had been seeing in her dreams came up. Masato leaned close as if he was looking at Mitsuko. Akira thought that she saw Masato speaking to Mitsuko and Mitsuko smile. But that thought died when he slapped her. She looked up at him, her piercing eyes cold.

"Well Mitsuko?" he said, "Before you die, do you have any last words before you die by beheading?"

Akira looked at Mitsuko, to make sure she was the same woman she had been seeing on her dreams. Akira saw the deep mark on her stomach where the knife had been and other marks from the torture that had been given to her. But when she spoke, Akira lost all doubts since it was the voice she had been hearing in her head for so long. This _was _the woman who had been appearing in her dreams.

"Masato, you scorn me and all the people here, except for my family, wait for my head to go flying. But I warn you all now, if you kill me, you will set into motion a curse that will destroy almost everything it touches. If you exile me, I can stop the curse and many people, especially women and children, will survive. Please Masato! You were my friend once! Understand that if you kill me, you kill thousands of others."

Masato scoffed, "You think that we will believe the words of someone who has lied to us? You must show us proof, which I know you do not have Mitsuko! You cannot prove that what you say will become true! So now, you will die! Bring forth the executioner!"

Another man came forward. He had an ax, but it was a sickly grayish-green and it glowed like a lamp. Masato backed up and Akira thought he saw sadness in his eyes. Masato closed his eyes and looked away.

Akira could hear Mitsuko's mother wailing in the background. Wailing for her daughter who was about to die. She saw all of Mitsuko's family and friends clinging on to each other, the woman clinging on to brothers, husbands, or even sisters. The men's reactions were different. Some were staring with hard eyes at the executioner, some were watching while tears fell, and one person, Mitsuo, just couldn't look, so he buried his face in his wife's hair and closed his eyes.

Akira looked at all the people around her with horror. How could they be so cruel to one of their own? It was too awful. As the axe rose and fell, Akira woke up.

She was in her bed, in her favorite Alice blue nightgown. She looked around. It was 11:00 P.M. Just about an hour since she went to bed. She sighed and went to wash her face. It was covered in sweat and it felt sticky.

After Akira washed her face, she went back to bed. She went back to bed, and, once she was snug under the covers, she found that she couldn't go to sleep. She felt odd as she remembered what had happened after she had fainted today.

_Akira had been on the floor where she had fainted. She was upturned which surprised her at first since she had fallen face first. Then, she saw Kumori was looking down at her with worried eyes and she realized how she had been turned over._

"_Kumori?" Akira asked, surprised, "Wha-? What happened?"_

"_You fainted," Kumori said simply. Then she asked, "Can you get up?"_

"_I-I-I think so," Akira said, shakily as she stood up. She walked outside to the backyard_.

Akira, now safe in her bed, was thinking. She had fainted? She felt shaken by that and she felt ice go through her veins. Her father had fainted before he had died. She remembered what had happened.

When her father, who was at healthy age of 39, had fainted, Akira, who had been 13, had freaked out. She had been alone in the house with her dad when he had been complaining of a headache. He had gone to go get some aspirin and then, Akira had heard a thump. She had gone to check it out and found her dad, unconscious on the tile floor. She had panicked, trying to wake up her dad, and he didn't wake up.

She had called 911 later and her father woke up in the hospital later. It turned out, that he had a malignant tumor in the brain. Akira couldn't remember why, but his days had been numbered after that.

When the twins were born, they had to be brought to him, and his condition had been deteriorating rapidly. A week later, he had passed on. It had been hard for all of them, to see him gone.

Akira shuddered. What if _she_ had the same thing? After all, the first sign was when he fainted. What if she had a tumor too? She shook her head. No, the tumor wouldn't have appeared so early. It probably had to do with these dreams she was having. That had to be it.

She sighed. Why did this have to happen? As if she needed another thing hanging over her head. It was like a lot of dark clouds were there. She had already had to deal with her younger siblings, her older sister's abuse, and school. Now, there were voices in her head and very disturbing dreams.

She felt the weariness of her body tug at her and her eyes suddenly felt like gravity was too much for them. She let her head fall against the pillows of her bed and soon she was asleep.  
The next day, at Sarayashiki Junior High…

Akira started blankly at her teacher, Mrs. Yumira, as she talked about how lithium was used and how nickel was used in some other thing. But personally, Akira didn't notice. She knew this already and now, with the thought that she could have a tumor… Well, it had become harder to focus on things.

The day felt like it dragged on as Akira went through her classes. Time passed and seconds felt like hours. At lunch time, Akira sat, quietly eating her lunch, listening to the conversation Hikari and Kumori were having.

"I'm telling you," Kumori said, "High school's going to be a fucking pain. You know how the exams will be coming up soon? Well, I'm beginning to think that all this studying isn't worth it. Whatever shit of a school we get in is the school we get in. Right?"

Hikari nodded. "Yeah! My uncle Zassou is getting after me to go to a great high school to uphold the family's name and honor, or something like that. I don't know if I can…"

"Akira?" Kumori asked.

"Hmm?" Akira asked, turning to Kumori as she was shaken out of her thoughts. She looked at Kumori.

"You took the exams early didn't you?"

"Yeah… Mom made a mistake in thinking that Kumori was already in high school instead of junior high going to high school. She had me take the high school exams. So, I kind of don't have to take them."

"Lucky!" Hikari said.

"Well, Akira," Kumori said, speaking again. "I was wondering… what school does Minori want you to go to?"

"The school my mom wants me to go to?" Akira asked. "She says she doesn't have a preference, but I think that's a lie. Personally, I believe she's hoping I go to her old high school."

"Oh," Kumori said.

"What was her old school called?" asked Hikari.

"I can't remember the name. But, if you would like, I'll ask my mom today," Akira replied.

"Ok!" Hikari said. After that she began to talk to Kumori again.

Akira smiled. How lucky she was to have such great friends. Then a bitter thought entered her mind. How would they react if they found out she had these voices in her head? Would they still try to be her friends? Or would they ignore her to rid themselves of a crazy? She didn't want to think about it.  
That afternoon after school…

Akira watched the sidewalk, thinking of the weird dreams and what they meant. It was silent with neither Kumori nor Akira talking to each other. Finally Kumori broke it.

"Akira? You ok?" Kumori asked. "You've been very quiet. Well, quieter than normal. "

"I'm fine," Akira said. "Just tired."

"Ok…"

Once they were in the house, Kumori mentioned something about going upstairs to do some homework. Akira nodded, still silent as the grave. Then Kumori turned to her.

"Akira? Are you sure you're fine?" Kumori asked, worry, a rare tone for Kumori to use, entering her voice.

"Yeah…" Akira said, "Just a little tired. I had another nightmare last night. I just haven't been sleeping well lately, so it's a bit hard for me to concentrate on conversation right now. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Kumori said, now climbing up the stairs. "I better get my homework done."

After Kumori left, Akira felt tears sting at her eyes. She knew she couldn't cry. Her younger siblings were in the house, not to mention Kumori. Seeing her cry would shake her younger siblings. And Kumori? Akira wasn't sure how she would react. That was it. She _wouldn't_ cry.

She took a deep breath. Just then, the phone rang. Akira picked it up.

"Moshi moshi?" she said.

"Hey 'Kira!" her mother's voice answered.

"Hey Mom," Akira said, surprised, yet happy to hear her mother's voice. She looked at the hour. It was ballet hour for five-year-olds, which meant that her mother probably had someone helping her watch the rambunctious children.

"Hey, I have a favor to ask."

"Sure Mom. Shoot."

"Well, I was wondering if you could –Momo, while spinning, focus on one spot, it helps with the dizziness, dear- go to the Hatanaka's for me. Please?" Minori's voice sounded as if it was begging.

"What? Why?" Akira asked, a frown appearing on her face and entering her voice.

"Well…" her mother said, a nervous tone entering her voice, "I forgot that I left something at their place and Shiori called. She asked me when I wanted to pick it up, and I told her that you might come pick it up today."

"Mom, I am taking care of Akane, the triplets, and the twins," Akira said, a bit of irritation entering her tone. "You know that I can't just leave them all alone. Not even for a little bit."

"Well, dear. I thought that Sakura would be helping you," her mother said, ignoring the tone Akira had used.

Akira bit her lip. She knew that her mother probably did need whatever she left, but it was kind of hard for her. The twins and triplets were asleep, but Akane didn't like naps. And what if something while she was gone? But, her mother probably did need it.

"What did you leave?" Akira asked in a resigned tone.

"Thank you Akira! I left my – Arisu! Are you all right?" Minori asked, now distracted.

"Mom? You didn't leave the 5-year-olds all alone, did you? You do have help, don't you?"

"Yes, dear, I have help. Mamoru, you remember him? Well, he's helping."

"That's good," Akira sighed, relieved. Then, she asked, "What did you want me to pick up?"

"I wanted you to pick up my… my…Oh! That really gets to me! Now I've forgotten what it was!"

"Don't worry Mom," Akira said. "I'll go over there and get what you need. I'll see you later tonight, ok?"

"Oh Akira! You don't know how big of a favor you are doing for me! Thank you sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too," Akira said.

"Bye-bye."

"Bye…"

As she hung up the phone, Akira felt a smile play on her lips. She turned and checked to make sure the triplets and the twins were asleep. She checked on Akane and found her sleeping on her bed. She wrote a note:

_If you find this, it means I'm not back yet. I'm just going to the Hatanaka's to pick something up for Mom. So… Yeah. Don't worry._

_Akira_

Akira put the note on a low table, where she was sure even Akane could find it. Akane couldn't read very well, but she was able to read all those words. If one of the triplets found it, they'd go find either Kumori or Akane.

Akira grabbed a jacket and opened the front door to see Kumori suddenly standing there. Her face held an unexplainable expression. But, her eyes held suspicion and were wary.

"Hey Akira. Where're you off to?" she asked.

"My mom asked me to go to the Hatanakas to go get something for her. I told her I would, it's not that far," Akira explained.

Kumori rolled her eyes and began to laugh. "If you think 'not that far' is halfway on the other side of town…"

"Like I said," Akira explained, grinning, "Not that far."

"Fine," Kumori said, "But I want to come with you."

"Oh, Kumori, you don't-" Akira began.

Kumori interrupted, "I want to come. Besides, I haven't visited their house in a long time."

Akira sighed as she gave in. The walk to the Hatanakas was a quiet one. It felt like a long walk to Akira. Kumori seemed on edge, as if there was something bad in the air, or something was following them. Her uneasiness wore off onto Akira and soon she felt just as uneasy as Kumori looked.

When they reached the Hatanaka door, Akira gave a quick, tentative knock on the door. The door opened and Shuuichi looked out from the entryway. He was still dressed in his school uniform and he looked surprised to see Akira and Kumori standing at the door.

"Akira? Kumori?" he asked, in surprise.

"Hi Shuuichi-san," Akira said. "I know you visited my house earlier today, but my mother said she forgot something here. She said your mother called her about picking up whatever my mother left behind."

Shuuichi nodded, realizing what Akira meant. He said, "Come in." After ushering them into the living room, he said, "I believe my mother said that Minori-san left her bracelet. I'll show you where it is."

Akira froze as she heard her mother had left a bracelet. "Was this bracelet silver with many different, little charms on it?"

"Yes…" Shuuichi said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh! That's why she wanted it back so badly. That's the last gift my mother received from my father. It's very precious to her and I can't help to think how she would react if she lost it permanently. Thank you very much." Akira bowed in respect.

Shuuichi smiled and said, "It was nothing. Let me go and get it for you."

Akira looked around the house. It had been a very long time since she had first been in the house. It had been in July, summer break had almost started, when she had first came to Japan and now it was January, almost time for entrance exams for high school. She noticed that some of the things had changed in the living room. Pictures had been updated and some object had been moved here and there.

Akira was surprised at how quickly she could tell that things had changed. It had been a while since then and now things that had been unnoticeable where suddenly noticeable. It surprised Akira, since she usually had a bad memory about how someone's house looked. She could remember a person's face, name, or both, but never how their house looked.

"Ah, is this it?" Shuuichi said, coming back in. He held up a silver bracelet that had many charms on it, including 9 birthstone children charms. Other charms were on it as well, but the birthstone children gave it away as Minori's bracelet.

Akira nodded and said, "Yes, that's it. Thank you."

"It was nothing," Shuuichi said. He handed the bracelet to Akira. When he did this, his hand passed Akira's face. As it did, Akira noticed that there were several cuts on his arm under the sleeve.

They looked nasty as she saw them. They were red and it looked like they may be a little infected. She blinked as the bracelet was put into her palm. She looked down at her hand and said, "Thank you again."

Kumori said, "So, Shuuichi. How are things with your friends?"

"Things are going well," Shuuichi said.

"Nothing too serious happened?" Kumori asked with honest curiosity in her voice.

"No. Just some minor incidents happened with everyone trying to come here lately," Shuuichi said.

Akira watched them talk confused. She didn't understand what Shuuichi said. From what she heard from her mother, lots of people were trying to move to a busier city or move out to the country. Sure, some people were moving here, but not everyone. It seemed odd.

But then again, a lot of things seemed odd when Akira was around Shuuichi. Lately, he seemed to be busy. Shiori had said that he had lots of things to do for school. But that didn't make sense, since one of the students who was in Akira's dancing class said that students were now being encouraged to go home and study for exams.

Akira sighed in her mind, knowing that she probably would never know what was going on with Kumori and Shuuichi. Recently, they had been having these cryptic discussions and it confused Akira to no end. They were always about Shuuichi's friends and how they were doing. Akira quietly spaced out as they kept talking with each other about what was going on.

"Kumori," Shuuichi said, "I think we must be boring Akira. Maybe we should discuss this later."

Akira looked up at the sound of her name. She said, "Hmm?"

At that, Kumori began to snicker. She said, getting up "You're right. Besides we need to get home. Akira's supposed to be watching her little siblings." With that, both girls went to the door.

"Well, then. I suppose we'll see each again. It was nice to see you both," Shuuichi said.

"Yeah! See you, Shuuichi," Kumori said.

"Goodbye Shuuichi-san!" Akira said and both girls left the house.

On the way back to the house, Akira followed Kumori down the street to the crosswalk on the way back to the house. She finally couldn't keep silence anymore. "Do you think Shuuichi-san is all right?" Akira asked.

"What do you mean Akira?" Kumori asked, turning around.

"Well, he had nasty cuts on his arms. I didn't mention it because it looked he was trying to cover up the cuts since he hadn't changed out of his uniform and it's after school. I know he's probably fine, but still… I can't help worrying," Akira said quietly.

"Don't worry, Akira," Kumori said, turning back, "Those cuts aren't anything to be worried about. Shuuichi can take care of himself."

"I hope so," Akira muttered.

As she followed Kumori, she thought she heard some odd noises. It sounded to her like they were being followed. A small rustle here, a thump there, or even a splash some other place. It bothered her, but Kumori didn't seem to notice it.

As Akira and Kumori went through a short cut in the thick shrubbery of a park near Akira's house, she felt something grab her from behind.

"KU-" Akira cried, but something wet covered her mouth and nose. It felt like water.

When she tried to breathe, the wet liquid entered her lungs and began to choke her. As whatever the wet liquid was began to enter her lungs, she saw Kumori turn and hiss at her captor. Akira felt her vision going blurry as something was happening to Kumori. Kumori seemed to have now cat ears and a cat tail. As Kumori ran towards her, Akira's world turned black.  
To Koenma's desk…

Koenma tapped at his desk. Nothing to do, since all the paperwork seemed to be done for the day. What would he do? He decided to check on Kumori. He was bored and watching her antics and she acted when she was irritated with someone always made for good entertainment. He turned his tape onto Kumori and what she was doing at this exact moment.

It showed Kumori captured in the right hand of a water demon, a very large water demon. In the demon's other hand was a girl with long brown hair, who seemed knocked out. Koenma had seen her a few times. From what he understood, she was Kumori's best friend. Then he noticed something hanging from the girl's neck.

"Ogre!! Botan!!!" he yelled. Both came in quickly.

"What is it?" Botan asked.

Koenma pointed to the screen, "Take a good look at the human girl in the demon's hand. Now look at her neck. Do you see what I think I'm seeing?"

The ogre, whose name was George, said, "It couldn't be…! Could it, Koenma, Sir?"

"I don't know, Ogre. But, Kumori told me she had a friend who had it. So, I'm pretty sure it is," Koenma said.

"But what would she be doing with the Demon's Heart?" Botan asked, "I mean, it's been lost for at least 10 years."

"Yes Botan. I know that," said Koenma, "But I want to make sure it is first. Botan, I want you to contact Yusuke and the others. Bring them to me, IMMEDIATELY!!"

"Yes sir," Botan quickly left.  
Back to Kumori and Akira…

Akira woke up. She was alive? Well that was good. Then she felt the wet liquid holding her body. She looked down to see a giant hand made out of water holding her. She looked up to see a face made out of water. The demon's head was down near her, eyes closed. Once a snore sounded, Akira realized that the demon was sleeping. Even though it was sleeping, it was hideous to behold. She looked away just to keep from losing her lunch.

"So… you woke up," said a quiet voice.

Akira turned to see Kumori. She was shocked. Kumori really did have cat ears. They were silver and on top of her head. She looked and saw a cat tail twitching in the water. Apparently, Kumori wasn't happy with being caught.

"Kumori? What's going on?" Akira asked.

Kumori said annoyed, "Well, let's see we got attacked by a water demon and-"

"We were attacked by a what?" Akira squeaked. Even though she didn't want it to, her voice had gone up a few octaves higher.

"A water demon," Kumori said, even more annoyed, "And now we're at his hideout. Oh yeah, I think I forgot mention I'm half-cat demon. Does that cover it all?"

"Yeah… But demons are real?!" Akira said in shock.

"Yep. And so is the Spirit World," Kumori said, "And unfortunately, we're going to visit it soon if we don't get out of this mess." That was when Akira began to struggle against the fist of the demon.

"Akira what the hell are you doing?" Kumori asked in a confused and irritated tone.

"Trying to get free," Akira said, struggling against the grasp of the demon.

"I tried that already, Akira! It doesn't work!! We can't do anything!!!" Kumori snapped.

Akira stopped, wide eyed. She turned to Kumori, and asked, "You are Kumori Aisubachi, right?"

"Akira Margarita Wagerman!!" Kumori said, icily, "Who else would I be? Your older sister?"

"You are Kumori? The one who hates crowds and water, and likes high places and sweet snow?" Akira asked, still staring at Kumori. She looked like she still wasn't convinced that Kumori was Kumori, which _really_ got on Kumori's nerves.

"I just said I was didn't I?!?!" Kumori snapped.

"Ok, Kumori… Then, tell me. What happened to the part of you that told me never to give up, even when there's no hope of victory?" Akira said, staring at her best friend with a determined look. She snapped, "Remember? The one that told me at the P.E. game that she would never give up to the other team, no matter how slim the chances were that she'd win? Because it's that Kumori I'm listening to. And I am not about to be demon food! So you can either help me or get away or you can stay here thinking it's hopeless and get eaten!!"

Kumori stared in shock. Where had Akira learned to talk like that? Kumori thought about it and began to struggle against the demon.

Just then, as both girls began to struggle against the demon's vice-like hold on them, a deep chuckle sounded.

Both girls turned to see the demon wide-eyed and awake. There was only one word to describe how the girls were feeling. One word to say how much trouble they were in and how upset they were. And at that precise moment, Kumori decided to speak it.

"Crap…"

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Ending comments: You know I love it when you've read it then review! You keep me happy! My poll is closed... Oh yes, school starts Monday, so posting probably will slow down.


	8. Chapter 8

MangaMaid's Notes: Hey! Well, I am alive. Sorry I haven't updated. Here are the reasons why:  
1. My computer crashed with ALL my files on it, so I had to get a new one and try to rewrite it :(  
2. As soon as I got one, I got the Swine Flu. Crappy stuff. All I did was sleep most of the time.  
3. After I got better, I had to catch up on homework and I recently got a job.  
4. I finally got my files from the guy who is trying to fix the old one. So, I am very, very sorry. Also, I would like to applaud all the people who have favorite and/or reviewed:  
Crazy anime chick since 1993, crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, ImmatureChild, Kitsune Barra Hime, midnightsprite, naya124, Nekoharuhi, Oblivion Child, rosewhip889, SkyFirestorm, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, Torin Jingles, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, ChibiInu, angel61991, and the newest person who has recently favorited this story, Renrinrin!  
And let's give a big round of applause to my two most favorite editors in the world: Tsuki Kiba Kumori, who is Hikari, and demon of my heart and mind, who we should all know as Kumori! WOOH! I LOVE YOU PEOPLE! I'm back and I'm ready to go! But, before we can continue, I have something to discuss.

Demon of my heart and mind informed me that they have been getting PMs to tell me to add Hikari back in. I have some things to say about that:  
1. I noticed Hikari was falling out, as Tsuki Kiba Kumori mentioned it to me, since it is her character and I am planning to bring her back soon. But not right now. Now, here is the part I'm ticked off about.  
2. If you want me to do something, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT PM demon of my heart and mind about it. You PM me or tell me in a review. Demon of my heart and mind edits for me, so does Tsuki Kiba Kumori, but that does not mean they are going to tell me what to do. They know that I will write it as I so choose and they help me with their characters behaviors and other things I ask them to look over.  
I was embarrassed when demon of my heart and mind told me about this, because it made me feel bad. If you all really feel you have to PM my editor about adding a character, it's like saying you don't trust me enough to ask me anything. If you want me to re-add a character, please tell me. This is one of the reasons I beg you for reviews! So you can tell me stuff like that. Please send those kinds of things to me, the writer. Can you please just send all comments to me? Thanks.

And now...ON WITH THE SHOW!

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Back to the Underworld…

"Koenma!" Yusuke said, apparently in a bad mood. Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei were walking with him. Kuwabara looked confused, Kurama looked mildly surprised, and Hiei looked annoyed. Koenma looked from the screen to see them walking up.

"Hello Yusuke," Koenma said.

"Hey, Binky Breath! What's this about?!?!" Yusuke said, "Keiko's got me going on a date with her again and then I get Botan telling me to come here!! What is going on?!?!?"

"Yusuke, if this wasn't a matter of life and death for the Human World, I would have told you over the communicator." At the confused looks given to him by Yusuke and Kuwabara, Koenma sighed. "I'll explain," Koenma pointed to the screen, "Look at the screen."

The screen showed Kumori and Akira still trying to squirm out of the demon's grasp. He laughed and squeezed tighter. Both girls gasped but still tried.

"Akira!?!" Kurama said, in surprised shock.

"What the-!" Kuwabara said.

"Kumori's friend?!?! Okay, what the hell is this, Koenma!?!"

"Oh good! Do you all know Kumori's friend?" asked Koenma. "I never did learn her name…"

Kurama answered for them. "Yes. I believe we all know her. Her name is Akira Wagerman."

"Kurama, from what I understand, you must spend the most time with her. Is that correct?"

Kuwabara interrupted, "What does it matter?!?! That girl!!! I don't know her very much… But she and Kumori are still going to die if we don't hurry!!!"

Koenma quickly realized that Kuwabara, though he may have been a little dense in some things, was right. He remembered that humans didn't last long against demons. Even with the Demon's Heart, Akira's body would give in. After that, Kumori would be left. He knew he had to hurry and get only a few answers.

"Well, Kurama can you tell me why she has that?" Koenma pointed at the necklace again. Kurama looked at the necklace and his eyes widened, realizing that the plan he, Kumori, and Hikari had been using to hide the Demon's Heart owner from Koenma had just failed.  
"Well?" Koenma said impatiently.

"I cannot say. She never did tell me how she obtained it," Kurama answered.

"Well, that's no good!" Koenma said nervous now.

Yusuke looked at the necklace. "I don't get it, Koenma. What's so important about a weird looking necklace."

"That "weird looking necklace" as you so nicely put it is a rare necklace called the Demon's Heart! It possesses great power!!" Koenma said, "It's a rare artifact of the Spirit World and very powerful! It coveted by demons because can increase the power of a demon by a hundredfold! If it ever falls into the wrong hands, let's just say that Human World would be doomed."

"What do you mean doomed?" Kuwabara asked.

Koenma explained, "Demons would turn it into their personal battleground, fighting for the power that it gives. Humans would be feasted upon as demons would be trying to power themselves up. Everything in Human World would be destroyed. Your mission is to go get Kumori and that girl –Akira or whatever her name is- and make sure that the Demon's Heart is safely recovered."

"Hn. I don't see the point in why you dragged me into this."

Everyone turned to look at Hiei.

Hiei glared at everyone. "Look," Hiei snapped, "It doesn't affect me, so why should _I_ care what happens to that girl?"

"Because Hiei," Koenma said, "As I have said before, the Demon's Heart is a rare artifact of the Spirit World, and unfortunately, if worn for too long, the Heart attaches itself to the host. In other words, it's probably attached itself to Akira's body. If we don't get her back and she dies, the Heart's energy will die with her. Then we have the subject of Kumori. I've rarely seen anything like her. In other words, Hiei, IF YOU LEY THEM DIE, I'LL EXTEND THE LENGTH OF TIME YOU STAY IN THE HUMAN REALM!!!!! Understand?"

Hiei glared at Koenma. "You wouldn't dare," Hiei seethed.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Koenma said in a dangerous tone, "But _if_ you save them _maybe,_ I just _might_ give you and Kurama a full acquittal."

"Hn. A full acquittal? That's what Botan said."

"But that was Botan. She doesn't rule the underworld does she?"

"… Fine! I'll do it."

As the group left, Koenma said, "Kurama, I have something I would like you to do something for me… Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara… If you don't mind, could you wait outside the door. I need to discuss something of great importance with Kurama."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said, annoyed, "Whatever you say. Come on guys."

"Ok," Kuwabara said.

"Hn…"

After they left, Koenma said, "Kurama as I have said before I would like you to do me a favor."

"What is it?" Kurama asked.

"I would prefer if you kept out of sight on this next mission. I know that you've spent the most time out of the whole Reikai Tantei with that girl. I don't want her to see you. It could expose everything."

"I believe Kumori has already done that," Kurama replied.

"Yes," Koenma said, reluctantly. "But, I would rather that we try to see if we can make her believe it was a bizarre dream rather than have to resort to wiping her memory."

"But how does that relate to having me stay out of her sight?"

Koenma folded his hands together, "If we can't make her think it was a dream, we'll have to wipe her memory. Unfortunately, as you know, all though a few aren't, most memory wipes are unstable. Anything, a person, a place, even a thing, can break them. We did some research on people who have had their memory wipes broken. Most have shown that whatever broke their memory wipe was somehow involved with the memory trying to be wiped and that it was very important to them."

"But that means Kumori or the Demon's Heart could break it too," Kurama said.

"Yes, I know. But there's nothing I can do there. All I can do right now is try to eliminate any factors I can that could break a memory wipe. Just in case we have to perform one on that girl. It's for her own safety, you know."

"I understand," Kurama said. "I will stay out of her sight to the best of my ability."

"Thank you, Kurama," Koenma said, "Now hurry! I doubt that either of them has much time left!"

Kurama nodded and darted out the door to join his teammates.

Back to the girls…

Akira was bored. The demon had squeezed them tight enough and with enough pressure to make them pass out after he had woken up and found them trying to escape his wet clutches. When they had woken up, they found he had wandered away, leaving his hands behind to restrain them, as he went to go probably decide how to eat her and Kumori. It had shocked her at first, seeing as how she had been taught that hands were not supposed to come off a body. But now she was just bored. She had memorized the whole hideout.

It was a cave by a small clearing. In the clearing was a green field next to a river, probably the source of the water demon's power. The demon had left them in the clearing when he wandered away.

Akira sighed, "This is _not_ how I planned to spend my day. If it was my choice, I'd be home now, making sure my siblings were ok."

Kumori, who had been muttering to herself about how she should have concealed and carried some weapons of hers, snapped, "HEY!! Do you think I wanted to get eaten today?!?!?"

Akira sighed again, "No, I suppose not. But seriously, Kumori. I plan to have a normal day today, just watching my little siblings, but instead I learn you are a half-demon, demons and the Spirit World exist, and to top it all off, we're about to be eaten by a demon. Anymore surprises and I might just die of shock."

"Heh heh heh." The water demon's laugh was gurgling and deep and it caught both girls off guard, making Kumori hiss and Akira look around in surprise and fear. Then they realized that he was behind them.

Apparently, while they had been chatting, he had quietly come back and reattached his hands. When he spoke, his voice was full of malicious glee and had a jeering tone to it. "You should go ahead and do that, little human girl. I think it would be making your death easier and much, much less painful than having you drown in my belly. I'm not sure, but I believe all my previous victims found it to be a very unpleasant experience."

Kumori hissed at the water demon. "Bastard…" She seethed, glaring at him.

Akira shuddered. If looks could kill, this demon would have been dead a thousand times over already.

The demon, however, took Kumori's glare lightly. He brushed it off by laughing at it in his deep laugh again. Then, he began to muse to himself about how to kill the girls.

"Let's see," he muttered, "Which should I kill first? The Halfling cat?" At this Kumori hissed and her glare deepened as her eyes narrowed. "Or the human brat with the Demon's Heart?"

When he said that, Kumori, who had somehow gotten out of his grip, jumped up, and tried to claw the demon's face with her long, claw like fingernails. But it was like trying to scratch water. It didn't work.

"Heh. Doesn't work, does it Halfling?" The demon smirked at Kumori. Kumori glared back, her ice blue eyes turning cold and hard. The demon began to mutter to himself about how awful fiery tempered women tasted, then he quietly laughed to him, muttering, "S'pose I'll eat the human first. She'll give me more power with the Heart around her pretty little neck than the Halfling could. Besides, I'll bet she'll taste a whole lot better than that fiery Halfling."

"DON'T YOU DARE!!!" Kumori screeched as her sensitive cat ears picked up his almost silent musings. "OR I'LL STOP AND KILL YOU!!"

"What can you do to stop me?" he said, mocking her. "And more importantly, if you got free, which you can't, I'm made of water, how could you kill me? There's no way in the Three Worlds you could do it. Now I suggest you pray for your friend to have a quick and painless death."

He squeezed Akira tight. She screamed as she felt bones pop in place she didn't know could pop. He lifted her up towards the hideous face of his, his moth opening wide.

Kumori screamed, "You bastard!!! LET HER GO!!!" He ignored her and Kumori watched, angry at her own helplessness, as Akira was lifted up towards the demon's mouth. She wanted to do something, anything to free her friend. But nothing came to her.

Akira closed her eyes, tears silently flowing down her face and wishing that this was all a bad dream or sick joke, when suddenly the demon's hand broke up while holding her and his head disappeared in bright light. She fell and Kumori's eyes widened. It was at least a 20 meter drop if not more. Akira would be splattered to paste if she hit the ground.

As Akira fell, she felt like this was the part where she should wake up. But she knew, no matter how much she wished it was so, it would not suddenly become a dream. But then something caught her by wrapping itself around her waist. Akira looked to see a flowering vine was what had wrapped itself around her waist and that it was gently bringing her down to the ground.

"You could have come a little sooner, Fox!" Kumori snapped, irritated. "You made me worry over Akira for nothing!" She began to struggle against the demon's fist as she continued, "Now, get me down!!"

"Nice catch Kurama!!" A strangely familiar voice said. Akira was in a state of shock after seeing what she had so far today that her brain didn't register the voice. But as soon as a black haired boy with brown eyes stepped out of the brush into the clearing, her brain recognized him and his name came quickly.

"Urameshi?" Akira asked in shock.

"Hey!!!" Yusuke said, smiling and holding up a hand in greeting. He came over to check on Akira. He said, "You ok?"

Akira nodded.

"Good!" Yusuke said, smiling. Then, he held out his hand palm up and said, "Rescuing fee: That necklace around your neck."

"WHAT?!?!?!?!" Akira and Kumori screeched in shock and surprise.

"Fuckin' hell no!" Kumori snapped from the demon's hand. "there is no fricking way in the Three Worlds are you going to get that!"

"My father gave this to me! My _dead_ father! There is no way on Earth that you could get me to give you this!" Akira yelled at Yusuke, clutching onto her necklace. Then she snapped, "I'll rather get eaten by the demon and go to the darkest corner of hell when I die before I will ever give you this!"

"Urameshi!" Another familiar voice called, "Did ya get it from her?!" Kuwabara asked as he ran out to them from the brush.

Akira was shocked, not just because he had appeared as well, but because she saw a sword in his hand. Well, it looked like a sword. Except for the small matter that it was yellow and it looked like it was made out of pure energy.

"Kuwabara?" Akira asked confused.

"No, Kuwabara," Yusuke said in a grumpy mood, as he turned to talk to Kuwabara. "She won't give it up."

"HEY!!!" Kumori yelled, "GET ME DOWN!!!! NOW!!!!"

Another vine shot out from the shadow staying closer to the shade of the brush and cut the other hand off. Kumori fell, but her body twisted and landed on her feet. She glared toward the shadow as she rung out her clothes and hair muttering things like "Stupid fucking demon…" and "Damn fox got me wet." until they heard the water demon's laughter.

"The frick?" Kumori said. She turned to Yusuke, "I thought you blew his head off with your Spirit Gun!"

"I did!!" Yusuke said.

"Then how the shit is he laughing?" Kumori snapped.

"I don't know! Don't get bitchy with me!!" Yusuke snapped.

Everyone turned to see water begin to bubble and rise out of the river like a geyser. It flew up and replaced the demon's head and hands. He stretched his fingers, massaged his wrists, and rolled his neck. Then, he closed his eyes, started to snicker, and then began to laugh like crazy.

"Oh fuck! More water!" Kumori snapped.

Akira's eyes went wide. She said, her voice shaking, "I-I-It can grow back?!?"

The demon stopped laughing, opened his eyes, and said, annoyed, "Yes. Of course, I can grow back. I wouldn't be much of a water demon if I couldn't. Only a true idiot would think I could die that easily." He paused for a moment, looking over the four people in the clearing. Then in a dark, mocking tone, he said, "Well, looky here. Two of the famous Reikai Tantei, Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara…" When Kuwabara and Yusuke looked up in surprise, the demon replied, "Yes, I know all about you both and the two other members of the Reikai Tantei."

"Well good," Yusuke said, "Glad we won't have to introduce ourselves before we kick your sorry ass. Now tell us your name."

The demon laughed, "Like you could kick my ass. Just try it!"

Kuwabara raised his sword, "Let's see what you say after you have a taste of my Spirit Sword!" He jumped and cut off both of the demon's arms and as they grew back, the demon laughed, "You know, I wasn't expecting dinner AND a show!!"

"A show huh? Well, that sounds like a compliment rather than in insult," Yusuke said.  
The demon said, "You know what, Urameshi? I think I like you. I suppose if you weren't interrupting my meal and being very impolite we could be friends."

"Sorry," Yusuke said, "I'm not friends with heartless bastards. Now tell us your name."  
"My name is of no importance to you," the demon said, "Now tell me something… Your boss really did send you here so you could try and stop me from eating the owner of the Demon's Heart!?!? I'm truly honored that I have caught his eye!"

'The what?' Akira thought, 'What is he talking about?'

"But honestly, even though I feel honored, I am a little insulted. I would have thought that Spirit World would be a little more precautious. I mean come on, just sending two of you to challenge me? Now that's just cocky."

"Look who's talking," Yusuke replied. "You're the cocky bastard."

"Yeah!" Kuwabara said.

"Says the people who could be killing the damn thing already…" Akira heard Kumori muttering to herself.

"Fool," a new voice, one Akira did not recognize, said, "You should never assume that there only as many enemies as you can see."

Just then, a flash of something crossed in front of the demon. Seconds later, its head exploded into a shower of water. It sprayed across the four schoolmates and each person was drenched.

"Hn. That was too easy," the voice Akira had never heard said.

"EASY!?!?!?! YOU DRENCHED US!!!!! YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kumori screeched, waving her arms around crazily. Akira had never seen her in such a bad mood. But then again, Akira had never seen Kumori covered in so much water. Or with cat ears and a tail.

Just then, the water demon's head came back. He laughed.

"Heh heh heh! You are the fool!! You cannot kill me!!! I'm invincible!! Or could you not see that even with your precious Jagan eye?"

"Hiei!" A very, _very_ familiar voice said, "Don't fall for it!! He's provoking you!!"

Suddenly, the flash appeared again and the demon fell apart. He regenerated himself with the water from the river again. And again. And again. And again. Each time, Kumori, Akira, Kuwabara, and Yusuke were drenched with a spray of water.

"Would you stop trying to fucking drown me?!" Kumori yelled after the 16th time this had happened.

Akira coughed as water had entered her lungs last time. She agreed with Kumori wholeheartedly. Nearly drowning over and over again was not fun.

As the demon regenerated this time, Akira felt water wrap around her body. The world turned upside down for her as his hand grew back.

Kumori ran towards her and grabbed her hand. But she lost her grip and Akira was pulled back up.

Then the demon said, "Hah! I thought that the Reikai Tantei was known for killing demons in an instant. But I guess when I place an innocent human hostage in front of you, you all freeze up and do nothing. Interesting. I wonder why you are so afraid of her dying. Are you so whipped by your boss that you'll wait on him hand and foot and answer when he rings a little golden bell? Well, are you?"

Akira heard Kumori yell, "No Hiei! You'll kill her!!" Akira turned to see Kumori holding a boy who was a little taller than Kumori herself. He carried a sword in his hand. Unfortunately for him, Kumori had glomped him and Akira knew from previous experiences that it was very hard to escape from Kumori's "Glomp of Doom" if she didn't want you to escape.

Akira's body suddenly reminded her painfully that she was going to be eaten as she felt the demon suddenly tighten his grip on her. She couldn't breathe. All she could hear was his dark, malicious laughing.

Kumori hissed at the demon and released Hiei as she stood up and clenched her fists. Hiei looked angrily at Kumori, glaring at her, probably angry about being glomped, but he didn't wait for her to change her mind and restrain him again. He disappeared and a flash of light hit the monster.

Akira fell as the monster fell apart. She hit the ground and her head hit a rock. Her head felt dizzy and the air was knocked out of her. She shook her head, but her body barely moved as she tried to get up.

As the demon had regenerated and reached out to grab her, Yusuke pointed his pointer finger at the demon like a gun. It began to glow and he yelled, "Spirit Gun!!"

The light blasted from his finger, like a bullet from a gun. Akira realized the light was the same as the one that had incinerated the demon's head. Everyone watched as it hit the demon squarely in the chest. The demon's whole body incinerated this time in the blinding flash of light and nothing, save a small amount of steam, was left. Kuwabara and Hiei watched it like this was normal, Akira stared, and Kumori smiled.

Yusuke said, "Am I good or what?"

Kuwabara said, "I'd hafta to go with the what, Urameshi.

"Ditto." Kumori commented, smirking.

Yusuke scowled. He was about to respond when the demon's laughter filled the air again. Everyone looked around.

"I can't believe it! You really can't believe that you have killed me that easily can you? Didn't any of you realize that was a pawn I created? Or did you actually think you had weakened me enough that my demonic energy had become that low?" The demon's voice asked, sounding surprised and quite pleased with himself.

Kuwabara sputtered, "A what?" Yusuke's eyes went wide while Hiei's eyes narrowed and looked around. Kumori snapped, "PAWN?!?!" Akira looked around when suddenly plants shot up around her like a cage. Her eyes widened.

Kumori hissed and crouched, back arched, at the cage until Hiei said, "Calm yourself. It's just the fox who is doing that, not the demon."

Kumori turned to the shadow. It wasn't there. She turned towards Akira and saw the shadow near her. She breathed a sigh of relief.

The demon spoke again, "Heh. Yes, a pawn." They could hear a frown in his voice when he said, "Just my luck. I was only looking for a good meal, but instead I get Reikai Tantei coming to my dinner." He sighed sadly and continued, 'You may have injured me enough for me to retreat, but you all shall not have that same chance. I'll drown you all first!!" A giant wave rose out of the water and broke, flooding the entire clearing.

Yusuke and Kuwabara quickly scrabbled up a tree while Kumori tried to reach Akira, but Hiei, who was closest to Kumori, grabbed her and jumped up into a tree. Kumori jumped out toward the water. Hiei quickly grabbed her tail. She hissed and turned to scratch at Hiei, but stopped once she saw he was holding her in the air with one hand and holding the branch with the other. He glared at her.

He snapped, "Baka-onna, do you _want_ to drown?"

Kumori frowned and turned away, but let Hiei pull them both up. Hiei noticed the tears in her eyes. Even though he thought that she was showing weakness, he decided to say nothing, remembering that cat demons could place nasty curses on people if ticked off.

Unbeknownst to Kumori, Akira was fine. Akira had been trying to get up, her body still not working, when someone had picked her up. She had closed her eyes, too scared to open them and clung onto the person. She breathed in through her nose and smelled… roses? She breathed in again. Yes, definitely roses. Akira heard the soft thump as they landed in what she supposed was probably a tree and heard the water rushing underneath her.

After the water receded, Kumori started struggling toward the ground. Hiei let go of her tail and she fell towards the ground. When she reached the ground, she looked for Akira. After not seeing her, Kumori began to run around in circles and yelled, "Ah! No! Akira, you weren't supposed to drown!! Remember?!! No drowning!! You cannot leave me here with the short, little, fire and ice demon who probably wants to kill me now because I called him short!" She ran around a couple of more times than yelled, "And little!!"

As Kumori ran around some more, Yusuke and Kuwabara came down. Yusuke finally got bored and whacked the back of Kumori's head. Kumori fell over. She then turned to glare at Yusuke.

Kurama landed next to Kumori. When Kumori turned, she saw Akira in Kurama's arms, still not opening her eyes. As Akira was being set down, Kumori suddenly charged at Akira and tackled her in a glomp.

Akira, who had opened her eyes, was caught off guard by the sudden weight ramming into her. She fell backwards into Kurama, who caught her as she hit him. Kumori had rammed into her pretty hard.

Kumori said, joyfully, "Akira! You're alive!"

Akira said, "Uh… Kumori?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad to see you too, and I'm glad you're okay… But, can you let go? I can't breathe!" Akira squeaked as she used part of the little air she had.

Kumori instantly let go and Akira started to take in gulps of air. She took deep breaths until her breathing became normal again.

Yusuke smiled, looked behind Akira, gave a thumbs up, and said, "Way to go Kurama!"

Akira looked up at Yusuke, confused, and turned around. She was caught off guard as she saw familiar emeralds eyes and crimson hair. She blinked in shock, then asked, her voice quavering, "Sh-Shuuichi-san?"

Kumori and Kurama froze. Kurama froze because he knew that Koenma, who had specifically told him not to be seen by Akira, was going to kill him. Kumori froze for the same reason and the added fact that Koenma was going to kill her for sharing some of the secrets that innocents weren't ever supposed to find out until after death. This was going to be bad.

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Ending Comments: Please review! It makes me happy! Just press the button please! PLEASE! I BEG YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	9. Chapter 9

MangaMaid's Notes: Wooh! I am back! Well, school's a pain as normal, but Chappie 9 is done. People, I hope you know I love how much you guys review and favorite. I just wish the people who favorite would tell me what they think... But hey, who am I to judge? ^^ So! We have Chappie 9 here! Oh and guess what Hikari fans? SHE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!! Yep! I brought Hikari back and she's here to stay!! Woot! So let's see some smiles! ^-^ I'm hyper, can you tell? Woot! Oh yeah! I have updated my profile so check it out AND I have a new icon! It's Chibi Kurama! KAWAII! I found him on Photobucket. Isn't he adorable? Hee hee! ^^ Oh! Yes! I almost forgot my thanks. I would like to thank Anad, Crazy anime chick since 1993, crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, ImmatureChild, Kitsune Barra Hime, kuramacherry, midnightsprite, naya124, Nekoharuhi, Oblivion Child, Renrinrin, randomgirl110, rosewhip889, SkyFirestorm, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, Torin Jingles, WerewolvesMoon, Death101-Fox Version, angel61991, ChibiInu, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, and BloodMoonVampyr. Oh also many thanks to demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori for editing! Thank you all! And thank you to the people who have this story on story alert! I'd write all your names down, but that would take a long, long time. But, one of these days I shall have all your names! So anywho, on with the story.  
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Akira stared, her brain processing what had just happened. She had been kidnapped by a water demon, Kumori, her best friend, was a half cat-demon, Yusuke and Kuwabara from school had come in, Kuwabara carrying a… Spirit Sword? Was that it? Well, that's what he called it anyway. Yusuke creating what he called a Spirit Gun, a person Akira had never seen was with them, and now Shuuichi-san was here, standing right in front of her. Yet, Yusuke had called him Kurama. What was going on?

"Akira… Akira… Earth to Akira… Come in Akira… AKIRA!!!" Kumori screamed, knocking Akira out of her shock.

"What?!?" Akira suddenly exclaimed, surprised. She blinked and looked around.

"Hey," Yusuke said, "Kurama, you know her?"

"Yes," Shuuichi said, responding to the name Kurama, "Akira's mother and mine were close friends in high school. They've been in close contact ever since then."

Akira backed away from the four boys around her, behind Kumori. Her first instinct when thrown with something that frightened her was to be calm, but now that was past. Her basest instinct of fear set in and she backed away until she backed into a tree. All she knew was that Kumori was the only one who had been honest with her when she found out, the only one she could trust right now. Everyone stared at her, silent.

"Akira?" Kumori asked, worried. She was about to move towards her, but Kurama caught Kumori's shoulder. She looked up. "What?"

Kurama slowly walked to her, hands up. He took slow, deliberate steps, making sure not to frighten her. "Akira? Are you alright?"

"Stop," her voice was nearly silent, but Kurama heard it and stopped advancing. "Wh-What are you guys? And what is going on?"

Kumori took slow steps and began to speak. "Akira, are you okay?"

"Kumori," Akira said, in a forced calm on the brink of turning into hysteria, "I have just been kidnapped by a demon. I found out you are a half-demon and that much I could handle. But now, I'm starting to question my sanity. So, to answer your question, no. I am not ok. But before I start calling myself insane, I would like to know what is going on."

Kumori quickly shooed off the guys. "We are going to have a girl to girl talk," she informed them. "If anyone of you decides to listen in, I shall fricassee your fricking asses." After the boys left, Kumori asked "Well, what would you like to know?" She made her ears twitch, "I'm all ears."

Akira laughed a little. Then she asked, "First, why are the boys here?"

"Oh! That's easy," Kumori said, "Because Koenma, the son of King Yama, is the one who told them to come here. He's basically their boss."

"Ok…" Akira said, "Why is he their boss?"

"Well, Yusuke died unexpectedly about almost a year ago. I'm not sure the exact details of it all, but from what I have been told by the others, Koenma had Keiko Yukimura bring him back and Koenma made Yusuke a Spirit Detective. Basically, as a Spirit Detective, he stops demons, like the one that kidnapped you, from causing chaos. As for the idiot, I have no understanding in how he joined the ranks."

"What about the black-haired one you called Hiei and Shuuichi-san?" Akira asked.

"Well, from what Kurama- ah! I mean Shuuichi told me, when Yusuke started out, Shuuichi and Hiei were his first case. They stole some artifacts from Spirit World with another demon. Kura-Shuuichi stole a mirror called the Forlorn Hope and Hiei stole a sword called the Shadow Sword. Well, basically after some stuff, Yusuke caught them and then Koenma promised them if they worked with Yusuke, they'd clean their slates."

"Ok… Why is Shuuichi-san called Kurama? I noticed that sometimes you'd almost call him that," Akira asked.

"Well, Shuuichi is Kurama's human name," Kumori said, reluctantly.

"Huh?!" Akira asked.

"I'm not gonna explain. You need to ask Kurama about that, since it's his personal business. But you can't let his mother find out."

"Why?" Akira asked, confused. "Doesn't she know?"

"No. And as I said before, ask Kurama why," Kumori said.

"Ok…" Akira said.

"Any other questions?" Kumori asked.

"Do I know any demons?" Akira asked.

"Well… yeah… but I'll let you figure that out. You done?" Kumori asked, getting up to go to the boys with Akira.

Akira thought about it, then asked, "Who was on my balcony?"

"Huh?" Kumori turned around.

"Who was on my balcony the day I saw in class a demon or whatever I saw?" Akira asked.

"Why do you ask?" Kumori asked.

"I wanted to thank them for something," Akira said.

"Hn. Maybe I'll tell you later," Kumori said, "Anything else?"

"Why did Urameshi-san want my necklace? I mean I don't think it had any value to them whatsoever, so why did he want me to give it to him."

Kumori sighed. She knew that it would come to this. "Because your necklace is a rare artifact of Spirit World. Well, more so, Demon World actually. That's also the reason the demon kidnapped us. Because you had it."

Akira blinked. "What?"

"Yeah. It was created by this demon, Mitsuko. Because she made it out of her own heart, it's called the Demon's Heart. According to Kurama, it's supposed to hold some great power or something."

"Then why do I have it? And what happened to Mitsuko?" Akira asked.

Kumori sighed, "Look, we have to get back to your brothers and sisters. But, I promise, I'll have Kurama stay with us and we'll explain it better after we get home. But, do you understand some things now?"

"I still don't understand most of it… But I think I understand a little," Akira said.

"Talk to Kurama. He'll explain it better than I can," Kumori said. She turned again, ready to go.

"Wait! How did you keep this secret from me for over 10 years?" Akira asked. "You know, being a half-demon and all?"

Kumori chuckled, "Actually, I didn't know about it until last year. Half-demons don't manifest their powers until they're old enough to protect themselves. I freaked Kurama out, when I woke and screamed my head off cause I had cat ears and a tail. Chewed my mom out too, when I found she was a demon and she hadn't told me."

Akira chuckled, "That sounds like you."

"Yep!" Kumori said, grinning. "Hey, just so you know, I know Kurama and I would have told you everything in a heartbeat if we were allowed. So, do you think that you can trust the guys? Or at least Kurama?"

Akira thought about it, then nodded. "I think I can. Just as long as they're as honest as they can be with me."

Kumori smiled and then led the way back to where the boys had been waiting. "Well," she said, "We're ready to go."

Yusuke said, "Ok, but Koenma called. He wants Kurama and Hiei to go with you while we bring the necklace to him."

Kumori frowned and said, "I'll go with the first one. But we can't give him the necklace."

"Why not?!" Yusuke argued.

"Because dickhead, if we remove the Demon's Heart, it will remove Akira's soul with it!! And I'll kill everyone and anyone who tries to do that," Kumori spat.

Everyone froze, processing this information. Akira felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. Yusuke broke the silence. "What?" Yusuke said.

"You heard me," Kumori said in a dangerous tone. "You tell that toddler that if he wants to remove my friend's soul, that he'll have to come and do it himself!"

Kurama spoke, "Kumori relax. We weren't informed that that would happen. I believe that no one here wants to remove Akira's soul." Yusuke nodded in agreement.

"Yeah!" Kuwabara said, "I have an honor code to live by and hurting girls is not in it!"

"Hn. I could care less," Hiei interjected.

Akira felt her blood start to warm up. A small smile touched her face.

Kumori's facial expression, while still a form of a harsh glare, softened if only a little. She said, "Okay then. Well, we're heading off then. See you later." She waved and began walking away. Akira quickly followed her and Kurama and Hiei tailed them.

Akira looked around, wondering how they were going to get back, when a bright, white-blue circle was suddenly in front of them. She blinked, caught off guard by the bright light.

Kumori said, "Well, here we are. Time to go." She grabbed Akira's wrist and pulled her through the portal. When they reached the other side, they were back in the park.

They walked back to Akira's home. When they reached the front door, Hiei vanished, muttering something about how he didn't have time to babysit a human. Akira opened the door.

Crying was coming from upstairs. Rather more like wailing. Akira looked at the time and her body stiffened. She had been gone for 2 hours. She quickly dashed upstairs to find Akane trying to calm down the triplets and the twins. Instantly, when they saw Akira, they stopped and ran to hug her.

"Akira-nee-chan!" Akane said, "Where were you?"

"Sorry, Akane," Akira said, "I got a little… detoured. I didn't mean to scare you. You forgive me?"

All the kids nodded. Akira smiled and led them downstairs. When they saw Kurama, all of them, except Akane, instantly ran to him.

"Shuueeshee!!" Yuri said, running up to him first. He instantly bent down and picked the two year old up as she ran into his arms. "Hi!" she said, putting her arms around his neck in a hug.

He smiled. "Hello Yuri." He picked up Yuki as tears grew on the younger boy's face. "Hello Yuki," he said. Yuki, who was more silent than his outgoing twin, hugged Kurama in greeting.

"Hi Shuuichi," the triplets chorused, all hugging him around his legs.

"Shuuichi, are you gonna stay for dinner?" Tsubaki asked. All the younger siblings, even Akane, looked up hopefully.

Kurama stiffened a little bit, knowing that Akira might not be comfortable with that. "Perhaps you should ask Akira," he said, looking a little nervous.

Akira was suddenly attacked with a barrage of pleases and puppy dog eyes from all her younger siblings. She sighed, knowing that if she said no, her siblings would all be upset. But if she said yes… Well, Kurama hadn't done anything to harm her or her siblings. Plus she might get some answers.

"All right," Akira said, "But Shuuichi better call his mother first. She'll worry if he doesn't." She handed Kurama the phone and walked off to go get dinner started.

Dinner was, ironically, a normal dinner. The kids talked about what had happened at the home and Kumori, Akira, and Kurama talked about what had happened at school. Akira looked at the clock, worried about whether Sakura was coming home or not. However, luck seemed to be on her side as Sakura called, saying she would be staying at a friend's house.

After dinner, the kids stayed up for about another hour. Then, Akira put them to bed. After that, she came downstairs.

"Now," she said, looking at Kumori, who had pulled out her glow-in-the-dark yo-yo to play with it, and Kurama, who was watching her. "I would like some answers, please."

Kurama spoke, "What would like to know?"

"First, Kumori said that your real name was Kurama. She wouldn't tell me anymore after that. Do you mind explaining what's going on?" Akira asked.

Kurama sighed and began, "I wasn't originally Shuuichi Minamino. Many years ago, I was a kitsune. I lived for thousands of years. As I lived, I gained the powers of a demon. But, inevitably, as I grew older, I became bored with life."

"So, what did you do?" Akira asked, leaning forward as she listened intently to Kurama's story.

He hesitated, then said, "I became a thief." When Akira's facial expression became confused, he explained, "In life, I found a pastime of breaking codes and seals. I enjoyed breaking them because I found a sense of pride and worth in that I could do what only a handful of my kind could do. To me, it was a challenge. A challenge to see if I could break through and get what they had protected Also, the treasures that were being protected were quite coveted."

Akira nodded and asked, "What happened?"

Kurama sighed, "I made a careless mistake that only an amateur would make. Plus as extra protection, the people who had put up the barrier paid a man to try and capture or kill anyone who dared try to break the barrier. The man wounded me badly. Enough that I could only turn into my spirit form and escape to Human World. There, I caught a lucky break. I found a woman pregnant with a dead fetus. Since there was no spirit to fight, I took refuge in the fetus, knowing that in 10 years I would be strong enough to leave and I could vanish without a trace."

"But you didn't," Akira said, furrowing her brow.

"No, I didn't," Kurama answered, smiling at Akira.

"Why?"

"Soon after I was born as Shuuichi Minamino, my father passed away, so it was just me and my mother. My body was awkward and hard to control. I had spent so much time as an adult that a child's body was hard to control. I was still very independent. I never asked for help. Not even from my mother. You remember the scars on my mother's arms?" he asked. Akira nodded, shuddering at when she had first seen the scars that marred Shiori's arms.

"Of course she remembers, fox!" Kumori piped up. "Just get on with it."

He nodded and continued, "I was trying to get a container for a school project. It was on a high shelf and my mother had been washing dishes. While trying to get the container I climbed on a chair knocked some plates over on accident and broke them. Then I fell."

Akira's eyes widened. "You fell?"

"Yes. As I mentioned, I was very clumsy. I'm still not sure how I fell off the chair. I think I hit against the counter and lost my balance. But anyway, I fell. But before I hit the broken plates, my mother caught me, hurting herself instead. After that, I couldn't leave her."

"Why? I thought you had made plans to," Akira said, confused.

"I had made them. But, no one in my life had ever done something like that for me, not even my original mother. After she did that, I felt I couldn't leave her. I was content to be Shuuichi Minamino forever if I could just stay with my mother. Unfortunately, having a past like mine brought people who had found out I was alive looking for me."

"Like Hiei!" Kumori said.

"Huh?" Akira asked.

"Hiei originally came here looking for Kurama," Kumori explained, swinging her yo-yo back and forth.

"Yes," Kurama said. "Around that time my mother grew ill with a terminal disease that very few ever survive. Then, one day, Hiei and another demon he had rounded up named Gouki, came to me. They wanted me to help them break into King Yama's vault in Spirit World. I remembered that a mirror called the Forlorn Hope was there, so I decided to help them."

"Kumori mentioned that. Why did you want the Forlorn Hope?" Akira asked.

"Because the Forlorn Hope grants any wish to the user on a full moon. But at a price: the user gives their life for the wish to be granted. I was going to use it to heal my mother, but Yusuke, who was there when I made my wish stepped in and wished that I could have my wish without losing my life. So, neither of us lost our lives."

"So why doesn't your mother know about everything?" Akira asked.

"Because I've lied to her for so long, I worry that she might never trust me if I tell her the truth. Plus, she would worry about me, and be under constant stress," Kurama said. "Do you have any other questions?"

"No, I think I get why you lied. And just so you know, I forgive you, in case you were wondering. I understand why you felt you had to lie. But, I have one last question. How old are you?" Akira asked.

"I will be turning 16 in a few days, you know that," he said, looking up at her, smiling.

Kumori whacked him with her yo-yo. "That's not what she meant fox! You know that!"

He smiled, a little rueful, "Yes. I understand." He took a deep breath and said, "My true age is a little over 4000 years old. I lost track of the exact number many years ago."

Akira's eyes widened briefly. Then she said, "Wow. Didn't expect that. Now, Kumori, you said you'd give me some answers as to why demons want my necklace."

Kumori put her yo-yo away and nodded. "Well, for starters, your necklace is actually a rare artifact called the Demon's Heart. It's actually the heart of an energy apparition named Mitsuko. Mitsuko created the Demon's Heart to give it to the person she loved, a human named Satoru. When her people found out, they killed him and imprisoned her."

"Why?"Akira asked.

"Most demons think that human are filth. Not all, mind you, but most. Mitsuko's people were a prime example. They believed that humans would stain their damned precious reputation as the most pure race," Kumori said, scorn entering her voice. "Anyone caught in a romantic relationship with a human would be killed for ruining their precious reputation."

"Why would they kill one of their own for loving a human? Couldn't they just try to see it Mitsuko's way?" Akira asked.

"Few ever want to. And to change a demon's mind about human, you usually have to impress them. That takes a long time. Hiei is a prime example of someone who is going through the change," Kurama said. When Akira's face grew confused again, he said, "I'll explain after we finish discussing why demons are going to be after you."

Akira nodded. "So what happened to Mitsuko? Besides imprisoning her?"

"Well," Kumori said, "They tortured her. Painfully. Koenma let me read some of a diary that she wrote in during her imprisonment. One torture was two other apparitions would take a knife and-"

"Stick it in the stomach cavity? Then wait for the skin to heal and push and twist the knife in deeper?" Akira asked.

"Yeah," Kumori said. "Wait… how'd you know that?" Kurama also turned to her.

"Well…It's complicated," Akira said, hesitantly.

"Ok… You _will_ explain later," Kumori stated, looking at Akira, "Or I will be up all night trying to figure it out. And I like my sleep."

Akira nodded. Answers for answers. That seemed fair.

Kurama cleared his throat and continued, "Well, while she was imprisoned she placed a curse on the Heart."

"What?! Why?" Akira asked.

"Because of you," Kumori said.

"Huh? What did I do?" Akira asked, confusion and a faint shadow of horror crossing her face.

"Nothing!" Kumori assured her hurriedly, "Mitsuko could see the future. She saw only one person fit to hold her heart and use its powers properly. That person was you. She cursed it so no one could take it from you and use it to fulfill selfish needs. You were supposed to have it from the beginning!"

Kurama said, "But now, because you have it, demons are going to come after you. Most demons crave power and you are a perfect source of power. Weak, helpless, easily caught off guard, but you hold a power source that could increase a demon's power a hundredfold."

Akira frowned, "So, you're saying that I'm a prime target for demons?" After they both nodded, she asked, "Well, what do I do?"

Kumori said, "We're not sure. Koenma will decide. We just wanted to be honest with you so you knew everything before a choice was made."

Akira smiled, "Thanks guys."

"So, can you tell us how-?" Kumori began, but the phone rang. She sighed, "I'll get it." She walked off and answered the phone. "Hello?"

Akira and Kurama listened to the conversation. "Hey Hikari! What's up?... Uh huh… Ok, that's not new so what?… He WHAT?!?!?.... And you're…? Damn…alright, I'll see…" Kumori suddenly yelled, "Akira? Can Hikari come and stay for the night?"

"Yeah… I think so," Akira answered, "Why?"

But Kumori didn't answer, "She said ok… Do you know where we live?... Yep… See you in a few… Ok… Ok, bye."

As Kumori walked back into the room, Akira asked, "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing important. Hikari just was lonely. So she asked if she could come over. Do you mind?" Kumori asked.

"No… But why does she need to come here?" Akira asked. "Won't her aunt and uncle worry?'

"Um… No… Her uncle threw her out," Kumori said, looking down at her feet.

"What!? Why!?" Akira asked.

"Hikari and her uncle had a fight. A really bad one. In response to some of the things she said, well, he kicked her out of the house for the weekend. She has nowhere to go except for here."

Akira nodded. "Okay. Kumori, you set up some sleeping arrangements in your room. My mother knows better than to open your door since you are a light sleeper. That way, she won't be wondering why Hikari is in the house." She turned to Kurama. "Shu-I mean, Kurama, don't you need to go home?"

"Actually, no," Kurama said, "Koenma assigned me to watch over you and protect you from demons when you sleep."

"Oh," Akira said, a little surprised.

A knock on the door sounded. Kumori ran to open it. As she did, Hikari glomped her.  
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Hikari repeated as she squeezed Kumori.

"You're… welcome… Now… get… off… me…I…can't…BREATHE!" Kumori said, as Hikari squeezed the air out of her lungs.

Hikari let go of Kumori. When she saw Akira, she glomped her too. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you sooooo much!"

"You're… welcome… Hikari… chan… Now… can… I… breathe?" Akira asked.

Hikari let go and waved at Kurama. "Hi Kura- I mean Shuui-!"

"Hikari, it's ok," Kumori interrupted. "Akira knows."

"Really?" Hikari asked, looking around. After getting confirmation from Kurama and Akira, she said, "That's great! Now we don't have to hide anything from you, Akira-chan! Ooh! I'm so happy!" She turned to Kumori, "Did you tell her about me?" When Kumori shook her head, Hikari asked, a sad look appearing on her face, "Why not?"

"Because I thought you might want to tell her," Kumori said, annoyance entering her voice.

"Oh. Ok!" Hikari turned to Akira and said. Hikari spun around in a dancing way and posed at the end of her short speech, saying dramatically, "Presenting the one, the only, Hikari the half wolf-demon!"

Akira's eyes widened. "You're a half-demon too?" When Hikari nodded, Akira asked Kumori, "Do I know _anyone_ besides my family, Kurama's family, Kuwabara-san, and Urameshi-san that aren't demons?"

Kumori thought about it. "You know Yusuke's friend, Keiko Yukimura? She's not a demon or a psychic. She's just a normal human like yourself. She knows everything about it because she was targeted like you."

Akira asked, "What for?"

"For being Yusuke's girlfriend. A demon that Yusuke was fighting used insects that possessed people to attack Keiko," Kumori said.

"You mean I'm going to have to watch out for demon insects too?" Akira asked.

Kumori realized her error. She felt bad and looked down at her feet. It felt wrong to make her friend worry like this.

Hikari said, "Don't worry Akira! We three have been protecting you ever since you came to Japan! We'll always be here! I promise, we won't let anything happen to you! Right guys?"  
Kurama nodded, "Of course."

Kumori looked up and said, "I'd rather die than let you get hurt Akira. You're my best friend. You know that."

Akira looked at all three of her friends faces. She smiled at them, until tears began to leak from her eyes. She furiously wiped at them and said, "Thank you guys. Thank you so much."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm tired!" Hikari exclaimed. "Let's go to bed! Speaking of which... Where am I staying?" she rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"In my room," Kumori answered. "But shouldn't we have Akira explain-?"

Kurama interrupted, "It's late Kumori. We should let Akira get some rest and sort things totally out before we question her about how she knew."

Kumori nodded and Hikari asked, "Knew what?"

"I guess I'll see all three of you in the morning?" Akira asked.

"Yes," Kurama answered, "You certainly shall."

"Knew what?" Hikari asked again.

"See you in the morning Akira," Kumori said.

"KNEW WHAT?!?" Hikari yelled, asking her question for a third time.

Akira nodded and walked upstairs to her room, when she realized that Kurama was following her. She turned to him. "Why are you following me?"

He smiled at her. "I'm still on assignment from Koenma to protect you, remember?"

She blushed. "O-Oh. Right…" How would she change into her night clothes if he was in the room? That would be embarrassing.

He seemed to know what she was thinking. "Don't worry,' he said. "I won't come in until you let me. Why don't you go inside and change? Knock on your door when I can come in."

Akira nodded and quickly darted inside her room. She changed into her nightgown and when she realized it barely touched her knees, instantly she wished she had something longer and more modest to sleep in. She gave a sharp rap on her door and walked to her to her bed, darting under the covers and hiding.

When Kurama entered, he silently laughed at Akira's embarrassment and child-like behavior. He shook his head and walked toward the balcony. When he reached it, he stood, watching, waiting for any demon to attack.

Akira poked her head out and looked around for Kurama. When she found him, something clicked. She said, "It was you!"

Kurama turned. "What?"

"You're the one who was on my balcony a couple of months ago! The one who gave me the rose! That was you!" she said, in realization. Then, realizing what he could have been doing besides protecting her, she glared and said, "You didn't watch me change ever, did you?"

Kurama spoke calmly, "No, Akira. I never did. I value my life too much to do that."

Akira furrowed her brow at him. "What?" she asked. "Who said I'd kill you?"

"You forget that you are one of the closest people to Hikari and Kumori. It wouldn't matter if I did and you found out. If I did and they found out… Well… Let's just say my entrails would be strewn about the Demon Plane."

Akira shuddered. "Yep. That sounds like something Kumori would do to anyone who did something to me."

Kurama laughed and said, "True. Now, you need to get some sleep."

Akira said, "But I'm not tired."

"Well, please try. It makes my job easier if you are asleep and I know you won't get out of bed, running for your life because a demon is after you." His voice held a smile though his face was straight.

Akira rolled her eyes. "Ok, I'll try. But I make you no promises." She closed her eyes and yawned. "Hey Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks. For the rose. It helped me out." She yawned and rolled over on her side. She curled up into the fetal position. In about 20 minutes, Akira fell asleep. Her face entered a peaceful look.

Kurama, who had walked inside to check on her and make sure she was asleep, was surprised at how young her face looked. She looked rather like a sleeping child. He chuckled at the thought, knowing full well how capable she was at running her family by herself. She acted like an adult in behavior, but still, her childish traits were there. Hidden, but there.

As he turned away and began to walk he noticed something on her bedside table. The rose he had given her. It had been moved from the vase on the desk to its own personal one on the bedside table. There was even a small pitcher of water next to it. A small smile crossed his lips.

He walked over to the bedside table and felt the rose's emotions. It was actually quite happy. According to it, it was watered everyday and given plenty of sunlight. Akira was actually taking quite good care of it. Kurama's smile grew slightly bigger. He gently stroked the rose's velvet petals. He turned back to Akira for a moment, and then walked toward the balcony as he felt demon energy coming too close for comfort.

He flared his energy. Most of the demons, probably D class and C class, quickly scampered off, too afraid to come any closer to that kind of power. Kurama glared at the ones, who were probably Upper C and Lower B class, which felt they could take him. Suddenly, sharp, thorny vines violently shot up from the ground, leaving deep cuts and even beheading some of the demon. The ones who were alive quickly bolted away. Their feet couldn't go any faster if they tried.

Kurama, satisfied with his work, retracted the plants back into the soil. When he had finished, there wasn't any sign that several giant vines that could kill had even started growing there at all. He closed his eyes and went back to feeling for intruders. Most demons were leaving this place alone. He sighed, opened his eyes, looking at the moon.

The moon gazed lazily at him and he stared back with intensity. His thoughts were all a mess as he tried to figure out how he, Kumori, and Hikari would explain what they had done to Koenma. He frowned. Koenma would probably put him back on square one, making him repay for his crimes, and Kumori and Hikari would probably have to do some community service as well.

Akira sighed and Kurama turned towards her. He smiled. It would be easier to protect her now though. They could openly protect her and not have to explain to her how they used their powers. He turned away, shaking his head, and chuckling to himself. Yes, protecting her from demons would now be much, much easier.

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Ending Comments: Please check my page! Oh yeah! Review please! It's just a simple click! PLEASE!! REVIEW!!! It makes me very happy if you would review!


	10. Chapter 10

Manga Maid's Notes: Merry Christmas everyone! I wanted to give chapter 10 as my Christmas gift to you all! So I worked really hard to get it done before Christmas! I hope you like it! Also thanks to demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori for editing on such short notice. They knew I wanted to post this on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so they worked on it as soon as they got it! Thank you both so much! Also, I got a list! These are the people who have Story Alerted, Favorited, or Reviewed: Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon. Thank you all and have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

* * *

Sunlight gently crept into Akira's room from the balcony doors. Akira barely stirred from the sun hitting her eyes. She turned away, ready for more sleep, when something else decided to ruin her sleep.

"ACK!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Kumori screamed.

Akira's eyes shot open. She instantly sat up. She shot out of bed like a bullet from a gun and darted down the stairs. She stopped to see Sango, Ryuu, and Hikari chasing Kumori with water balloons.

"What are you doing?" Akira asked sternly.

Kumori shot past her into the kitchen, while all three of them stopped. Sango stopped first, Ryuu ran into her, and then Hikari ran into him, the balloon unintentionally flying from her hand. It flew and hit Akira straight on, breaking and soaking her.

Akira gasped and coughed, trying to take in air. She was drenched. Then, Kumori, Tsubaki, Akane, the twins, and, to Akira's utter embarrassment, Kurama came in.

"I am so sorry Aki-!" Hikari started, but Akira held her hand up to stop her.

"I'm fine," she said, her eyes closed. "I just want to know why you three were throwing water balloons in the middle of January." When none of them answered, she looked at them. "Well?"

"We thought it would be fun…" Ryuu said sheepishly.

"To throw water balloons at someone?" Akira asked in exasperation. "In the middle of January when it's freezing?"

All three looked at their feet in shame, embarrassed by what they had done. Ryuu was staring at them like they had come up with the idea, Sango was near tears, and Hikari had closed her eyes, expecting to be yelled at.

Akira sighed and rubbed the water off her face. She said, "I won't punish you, if you promise, and I mean _promise_ to not do this again. Do you promise?"

All three immediately said, "Yeah! We promise!" Sango and Ryuu ran to their sister and hugged her, instantly releasing her when they felt she was still wet.

Akira said, "Good. Now I'm going upstairs to change. I'll be down in a bit."

She quickly ran up the stairs, wondering why Kurama was still there. She shook her head and then frowned. Where was her mother? Didn't she come home?

She went into her room and changed from her nightgown into a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of comfy jeans. She sighed as she walked into the bathroom and cleaned herself up. She looked at her reflection and once deciding that it was fine, went back down stairs.

As she came down and walked into the kitchen, Akane instantly ran into her older sister's arms. "Akira-nee-chan! Mama said she had to go to work and she called Shiori-san to see if someone could come and watch us since you were asleep. That's why Shuuichi-san is here!" the five year old spoke quickly, but Akira understood her sister.

Akira nodded and smiled, coming down to the five year old's eye level. "Thank you, Akane-chan for telling me." She then looked up and smiled at Kurama. "And thank you, Shuuichi-san for coming and looking after my siblings. They can be a bunch of rascals when they feel like it."

Kurama, who had the both twins in his arms, looked at her and said, "It's nothing. I like spending time with your family Akira."

Yuri suddenly asked, "'Kiwah, can he stay pwease? It's no fun without Shueeshee. Pwease?" Yuki nodded his agreement.

"Well, " Akira said, "I don't mind. But I think you'd better ask Shuuichi-san rather than me if he wants to stay."

Suddenly, Kurama had a distinct feeling that he knew how Akira felt last night when her siblings had begged for her to let him stay for dinner, even though it was just two children. He smiled at them and said he wouldn't mind. The look of pure glee on the twins' faces, was something to behold.

As the twins ran out to announce that Shuuichi was going to be staying longer, Kumori came in. She shook her head and smirked at him. "You do realize that you have submitted yourself to ultimate torture, fox boy? Akira took on that insane job and do you realize what happened to her?" When he didn't respond, Kumori said, "She's become a surrogate mother to those munchkins. Mark my words, you get yourself involved and you _will_ become Shuuichi-nii and probably a surrogate father to them. I'm warning you now, if you don't want that, you'd best get out while you can." She gave him a serious look.

Kurama bit on his thumb and began to shake with laugher. When Kumori looked at him confused, he began to laugh, still trying to subdue it.

Kumori asked, "What's so funny?"

"You make it sound like I'm taking on some life-threatening job by playing with them," he said, once he regained his composure.

"Oh, believe me, Kurama," Kumori said, "It is. Those maniacs can even run me ragged."

Suddenly, the triplets and the twins ran into Kurama's legs, all hugging him. He fell over on his back. Kumori shook her head and gave him an "I told you so" look as the five little children began to crawl over him, all excited to have their favorite playmate over.

Kumori walked in to the living room, where she saw Akane drawing and Akira and Hikari watching her. Akira turned to Kumori.

"What was that thump I heard?' she asked.

"That," Kumori said, "was the sound of a fox getting plowed by five little monsters."

"Huh?" Akane asked, "There's a fox in the house?"

"Uh, no," Kumori said. "I just call Shuuichi a fox."

"Why?" Akane asked, her curiosity peaking.

"Well, because he's sly as a fox. Plus, he's devious and cunning and sneaky and conniving," Kumori said.

"Nee-chan? What does as sly as a fox mean?" Akane asked, her brow furrowed, turning to Akira. "I've never heard that."

"Well, foxes are known for how smart they are, right?" Akira asked. When Akane nodded, Akira said, "Well, basically, Kumori is saying that Shuuichi-san is as smart as a fox and he can be like sneaky like a fox to get what he wants."

"That's not nice Kumori!" Akane said indignantly. "Shuuichi's not sneaky."

"Pfft," Kumori muttered, "As far as you know."

"Kumori," Akira asked. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No, as a matter of fact," Kumori said. "I didn't. I was up all night trying to figure out how you knew."

Akira sweat-dropped as Akane and Hikari asked, "Knew what?"

"Uhhhh…" Akira said. She then laughed nervously, "Oops?"

"Don't oops me! You knew and I wanna know how you knew!" Kumori said, rather irritated.

Hikari tapped Kumori's shoulder. "Kumori, does this have to do with Mit- uh, you-know-who and her… well, you-know-what?"

"Yeah," Kumori said, "Why?"

Hikari whispered, "Well, don't you think you should wait to ask until the little person over there…" She jabbed her thumb at Akane, "is gone? I mean she's not supposed to know, right? And I'm pretty sure fox boy will wanna be here when Akira explains what she knew. Which you still haven't told me by the way."

Kumori sighed and then yawned. "Whatever. I'm going to try and take a nap."

"A cat nap?" Hikari asked. When Kumori glared at her, Hikari chuckled nervously and said, "Sorry, couldn't help it."

"Die." Kumori grumbled, before turning on her heel and heading towards the stairs.

Akira smiled nervously and sweat-dropped as Kumori stalked off upstairs. They all heard the door slam shut. Akira flinched.

"Don't worry about it Akira!" Hikari said, "Kumori will go and take a nap and when she's back, you tell her everything and she'll get over it!"

Akira smiled sadly, "I wish I could share your optimism. But I doubt that."

"Why?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah, why nee-chan?" Akane asked.

"Oh, I just doubt it," Akira said, hating the fact she had to spin a few more lies. It made her feel sick every time she thought it.

"Oh, nee-chan?! Kumori came down with Hikari here and said that when Mama comes back we have to see if she can stay. What did she mean by that?" Akane asked.

"It means Mama doesn't know that Hikari is here and we have to ask if she can stay here for a little while," Akira explained.

"Why doesn't Mama know about it?" Akane asked.

"Cause Hikari, Kumori, and I couldn't stay up until Mama got home. We were too tired with what had happened in our days," Akira answered.

"Oh… Ok!" Akane said. She skipped off to go draw.

Akira sighed. As she did, her head fell and said, "I hate doing that to her…"

"Hate doing what?" Hikari asked.

"Giving her half-truths. It bothers me. She's five, I'm fifteen. I should be the honest one but I'm not. And she shouldn't look up to me, but she does. Some kind of role model I am…" Akira said, looking at her hands.

"What are you talking about Akira?" Hikari said. "You're just not telling her to protect her from demons. Trust me. There may be human friendly demons out there like Kurama and Hiei, but most of the time they're not. If Akane knew about them, it would scare her to death. She'd be paranoid, afraid of a moving bush, or a shadow that looks a little off. That's why Spirit World tries so hard to keep demons and the Demon World a secret. Otherwise, humans would be scared of everything, even other humans. That is why you don't tell her. Right?"

'That's not just it,' Akira thought to herself. She thought about all the times that Sakura had hit her and Akane had noticed things afterwards.

_* * *_

"_Nee-chan, why do you have that big cut on your arm?" Akane asked._

"_Well, Aka-chan," Akira said, "I accidentally slipped with a knife and cut myself."_

"_You should be more careful, Kira-nee! That's not safe!" Akane said, with real worry in her eyes._

"_I'll be fine!" Akira said, smiling. But in her mind, she decided to wear long sleeves from that day on._

_* * *_

"_Akira! How'd you get that bruise?! It's huge!! It's bigger than my hand!!" Akane said as she saw Akira's back._

"_Oh… I fell on a brick outside. I slipped outside with all that rain falling," Akira said, rubbing the back of her hand._

"_Are you ok? Should I get Mama?!" Akane asked._

"_NO!!" Akira nearly screamed. When Akane looked questioningly at her, she said, "I-I mean why worry Mom. It was just a fall. Nothing more."_

"_Are you sure?" Akane asked._

"_Positive. I'm just a klutz, Akane. Don't worry about it!!" Akira smiled._

"_Ok…" Akira said, walking away slowly._

_* * *_

"Akira?' A voice asked. "Akira!... AKIRA!!! Snap out of it!!!"

Akira was suddenly shaken. "Huh?" Akira asked, surprised and disconcerted. She looked around. "What?" She saw Hikari. "Oh, hi!"

"Hi, are you back from wherever you were?" Hikari asked.

"Oh… uh, uh…yeah!" Akira said, smiling at her. She said, nervous, "I spaced. Sorry."

"I noticed," Hikari said. "I was about to call Ku-Shuuichi to see if he could snap you out of it."

"Did someone mention me?" Kurama asked, coming out of the kitchen. He was covered from head to toe in little children while Akane followed him. All the kids were tugging on him to go back into the kitchen and play with him. He winced when Ryuu gave a sharp yank on his ruby mane. He fell over as Sango and Tsubaki pulled on his knees, catching him off guard, and the kids tackled him.

Akira was stunned. She knew that her siblings knew better than to tackle a person all at once. She ran up and said, "Shuuichi-san, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. I have rarely played piggy-back with so many kids at once," he said, smiling up at her and trying to get the kids off him.

Akira instantly said in a sharp tone, "Sango! Ryuu! Tsubaki! Yuki! Yuri! You know better than to do that! Get off him now!"

Instantly, they were off him. They were all looking at Akira, quite nervous. They knew they had done something wrong and they knew they were going to get in trouble.

"What do you think you're doing? Shuuichi-san's a guest! We need to treat him with respect! That doesn't mean you can climb all over him and knocking him on the ground! What would Mom say?! Or better yet, what do you think Dad would say?!" Akira said.

All the kids looked to the ground, none of them speaking. They didn't remember their father very well, but they knew from what they had been told that their dad wouldn't have liked what they had been doing. "We're sorry, Shuuichi/Shueeshee…" they all chanted.

"It's all right," he said, smiling. "I'm sure you didn't mean any harm. Why don't we play a game?"

Akira sighed, "Actually, it's about time for their naps. I'll take them upstairs and put them down. Akane, do you wanna nap or not?"

"Yeah," Akane said, looking up from her drawing pad. "Yeah. A nap sounds good."

"All right then. Now then," she picked up the twins and started moving the triplets in front of her. "Let's get you all settled for your naps."

The twins yawned, while the triplets groaned. Yuki snuggled against his older sister's shoulder and his breathing eased to a deeper pace that signaled that he was asleep. She walked the triplets and twins upstairs and put Yuki and Yuri to bed first. Then she tucked in the triplets one by one. She turned off the light, closed the curtains, shut the door quietly.

Akira gently walked Akane to her room. She put the drawing pad on Akane's dresser and picked up Akane. "Whoa. You're getting big. Pretty soon, I won't be able to do this, girl," Akira said. Akane giggled as Akira tucked her into bed. "There," Akira said. "Comfy?'

Akane nodded. "Yeah. I'm good!"

"Good. Now try to get some rest. Ok?"

As Akira went to turn off the light, Akane asked, "Kira-nee?""What is it, Aka-chan?" Akira asked.

"Why… did…" Akane asked.

"Why did what, Aka-chan?" Akira asked.

But it was too late. Akane had slipped off to the land of dreams. She was snug in her bed. Akira smiled. She turned off the lights. Before she shut the door, she said, "Goodnight, Aka-chan. Sweet dreams." She shut the door behind her.

Akira walked to Kumori's door. She knocked on it and waited.

"Who is it?" Kumori asked.

"It's Akira. All the kids have gone to sleep, so I'll answer your questions if you want me to," Akira said.

Kumori instantly bolted out of the room. "Really?"

"Really. But be quiet, I just set them all down for their nap."

Kumori nodded and followed Akira downstairs to the living room. Kurama and Hikari were sitting on the couch, quietly discussing something. They instantly looked up when Akira and Kumori entered the room.

Akira said, "Right. Well, I believe you have some questions for me from last night."

"Yes," Kumori said, "How did you know that Mitsuko had been tortured that accurately."

Akira took a deep breath. "Ok, bear with me. This may sound a little odd. Well, maybe not considering you all know about demons and such, but… I'm not sure, but I know it was a few months at least, I heard… I heard Mitsuko's voice in my head…." Akira said.

"What?!" Everyone said, caught off guard.

Kumori said, upset, "And you didn't tell me this why?!"

"Hey, I thought you'd think I was insane!" Akira said. "But that's not the point. The point is ever since that, I been having dreams. Dreams of what they did to Mitsuko."

"The nightmares…" Kumori said, more so to herself than to anyone else.

"Yes," Akira said. She shuddered, "They did awful things to her. I'm not repeating what they did, because I know I'll be sick." She continued, "But I saw everything from her starting in prison. And I saw her execution the night before last."

"What?" Hikari asked.

"You saw it?" Kumori asked, stunned.

"What happened?" Kurama asked, looking at Akira intensely.

She took another breath. "Th-They…prosecuted her family…and friends…and in front of everyone…. Then…then…they brought her out…and…" She sighed. "They beheaded her. But they let her speak first and she mentioned a curse."

Kurama spoke softly, "The curse on the Demon's Heart…I see."

Akira nodded. "I guess so. I…I don't know what to do…I hate to admit it…But…I'm scared, guys. Really scared. Mitsuko…I think she's trying to tell me something…But either I can't hear her or I'm too stupid to get it…I don't know what she wants me to do…Heck, I don't know what I want to do…"

"Don't worry, Akira," Kurama said. "We're here to help you."

"Really?" Akira asked.

"Yep yep!" Hikari said.

Kumori nodded. "Duh! What did you think? You were going to do this alone?"

"I don't know… Maybe?" Akira said.

"Bzzt! Wrong answer my friend!" Kumori said, crossing her arms over her chest in an X and blowing a raspberry at her friend.

Akira sighed. Relieved. That's what she was. So relieved.

Suddenly, a bleeping sound distracted them. Kurama suddenly pulled out a compact mirror. He opened it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Kurama," a female voice coming from the mirror.

Akira looked to Kumori. 'What is that?' she mouthed.

Kumori mouthed back. 'Communicator mirror. They use it to keep in touch.'

'They?' Akira mouthed, confusion growing on her face.

'Reikai Tantei.' Hikari mouthed this time.

'Oh.' Akira turned her attention back to Kurama and his conversation. He seemed calm, but it seemed like a forced calm.

"Botan, you're telling me that Koenma wants me to bring them to Spirit World?" Kurama said.

"Basically," the female voice, Botan, cheerily replied.

"Botan, Akira has siblings who she is taking care of. She can't leave them alone. She already did that yesterday when she was kidnapped," Kurama said.

"Oh don't worry about that! We'll have her back before they know she's gone!" Botan said.

Kurama said, "I'll see what Akira wants to do, since she's so deeply involved in this."

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Kurama!" Botan exclaimed, "Now, I really must go. Ta ta~!"

Kurama sighed, irritated, closed the mirror, and ran his hand through his hair. He turned to the three girls.

Kumori said, annoyed, "What does Koenma want now?"

"He wants us to take Akira to Spirit World," Kurama said.

"What?!" Akira said.

"Nuh uh!" Kumori said, "No fricking way, no fucking how! I am not taking Akira to the place where the people who _want_ to remove the damned Demon's Heart are! Nuh uh! You'll have to kill me first! And that would be _very_ unwise…"

Hikari who was a little more open-minded to the subject said, "You know, we probably should take Akira there."

"What?!" Kumori said.

"Can't be that bad," Hikari said. "Besides, if they try to hurt Akira we can take them. They won't know what hit 'em. Well, they will, but they won't know how hard we'll hit 'em! Plus they might have information on the Demon's Heart that can help us and Akira with this! It's worth a shot, right?"

Akira said, "Would one of you like to include me in this conversation, instead of pretending I'm not in the room please? Because I would love what you're going to do with me."

"Well," Kurama said, "I think that we should take you to Spirit World." When Kumori gave an indignant noise, he turned and said, "Better us than officials from Spirit World." He turned back to her. "Do you know what Spirit World is?"

"Kumori said that it's the place a person's spirit goes when they die. Right?" she said.  
Kurama spoke, "Yes, but as I'm sure you probably know by now due to yesterday's events, it deals with demons that cause trouble in Human World."

"Ok," Akira said, "So why am I going there?"

"Remember how Kumori told you that Koenma was going to decide what to do with you?" Kurama asked. When Akira nodded, he said, "I believe he has decided and wants you there so he can tell you what he's decided. Keep in mind, Koenma may decide to do whatever he wants. He may make you work with the Reikai Tantei when asked to, as he has done with Kumori and Hikari. He may make you play as a trap for demons and then kill them." At that, Akira shuddered. Kurama continued, "Or he may erase your memory of what happened so you can be a blind target once again."

Akira froze. "He may what? You mean I won't remember any of this? At all?"

"No," Kumori said. "You won't. Nothing whatsoever. You may have faint memories, if you're lucky, but they'll be like an illusion of water in the desert. You may try to reach it, but once you get there, it's vanished. You won't remember anything. Not Kurama's true name and past, not me or Hikari being half-demons, not the attack, not the Reikai Tantei, not anything. You'll go back to being blind. Is that ok with you?"

Akira took a deep breath and rubbed her temples as she fought off a headache. "I don't know. But I think we should go. It's like Hikari said. They may have information that can help with my necklace… the Demon's Heart. It could be helpful. And besides, I'd rather go with you guys rather than get dragged off by people I don't even know. Kumori, please. I won't go unless you go. What do you say? Will you come?"

Kumori sighed. "Fine. I'll go. But the toddler better know that if he dares touch one hair on Akira's head to harm her… I'll kill him and there won't be any evidence. Mwahahahaha!"

Hikari said, "Me too! If he tries to hurt my buddy, he dies!"

Kurama nodded, showing he understood. Kurama then pulled out his communicator. He opened it and hit a button. Then a male voice answered.

"Ah. Hello, Kurama," it said.

"Hello Koenma," Kurama greeted.

"Botan told me you were going to talk to Akira to see what she wanted to do. Did she choose already?"

"She has. She's chosen to go to Spirit World," Kurama said.

"All right! Then we don't have to drag her!" Koenma said.

"No, you don't. But Kumori and Hikari say if you try to hurt one hair on Akira's head, they will kill you and there will be no evidence."

Akira heard Koenma gulp. He said, "There's no need for that. I just want to ask her a few things that's all. No need for violence. Now, was that all you called for?"

"We need a portal to go to Spirit World. Would you mind sending us one?" Kurama asked.

"All right, I'll be sending one shortly," Koenma said.

Kurama nodded and closed the communicator. He looked up at the three girls. "Well, I believe you all heard him, right?"

They nodded. Right after they finished nodding, a bright light circle appeared.

Akira blinked as the sudden light change hit her eyes. She felt a hand grab onto her wrist and pull her into the portal.

After they went through the portal, Akira couldn't believe her eyes. Running around the place were oni. She stared. Some were running around carrying papers, others were quickly typing things, and others were running copies. Akira, to say the least, was surprised. Everything seemed so, so, so rushed, so busy.

Kurama and Kumori walked off in a direction. Hikari grabbed Akira's hand and pulled her along. They walked off into a hallway.

After a maze of different hallways, they reached a gigantic pair of doors. As one opened they walked in. It was huge room, with a desk, a chair, and for some reason a gold T.V shaped like an eye.

"Yo, Kurama!" a voice said.

Akira turned to see Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei in the room. Akira looked down at her feet when she saw the surprised looks Yusuke and Kuwabara were giving her. It made her feel uncomfortable. They walked over to the side where the three boys were waiting and stood by them.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Yusuke asked. Akira knew that tone. And she knew who it was directed to.

"Can it, prick," Kumori said. "She's here cause the brat called her here. Besides, what's your problem with her anyway? She didn't do anything to you."

"Aw shut it, you catty, little bitch!" he snapped.

"Hey bastard!" Kumori snapped. "I'm a cat, not a dog. Get it right!"

Yusuke snarled back, "You can kiss my ass for all I care!"

"Sorry, but you couldn't pay me enough to! For all I know I might get a disease!" Kumori screeched.

"Why you-!" Yusuke started.

Suddenly a katana flew right between both of them. Both turned to look at Hiei. He glared back at them and said, "Now children, are you done?"

Yusuke instantly flared up. "Hey, Hiei! I hope you remember that I kicked your ass! So don't call me a child!"

Akira watched things heat up as Kuwabara got involved and soon, Kumori, Kuwabara, and Yusuke were fighting even more viciously. Kurama watched Akira's worried look appear. He said, "Don't worry. This is commonplace for them. The only time you should be worried is when they aren't fighting."

Akira nodded and watched as Kuwabara and Yusuke began to wrestle with each other. They were rolling on the floor, trying to bash each other's faces in.

"Both of you, stop it!" a voice said.

Everyone turned to look at a boy toddler. Akira raised an eyebrow. What was a toddler doing here?

"Now, where is Akira Wagerman?" the boy asked.

And what was the toddler doing talking like a full grown adult? Akira had a feeling she had been left out of something. She glanced at Kumori, who was whistling away, not meeting her gaze. Akira sighed.

Finally, toddler boy seemed to notice her. He walked up to her and held out a tiny hand. "Hello. I am Koenma, ruler of the Spirit World and the boss of the Reikai Tantei. How do you do?"

Akira stared at him, not moving. He stared back, still holding his hand out. Neither person moved.

Finally, Akira said, "A toddler barely older than Yuki and Yuri is running Spirit World?! What on Earth?"

A vein popped out on Koenma's face. He yelled, "For your information, little missy, I am older than you by a few thousand years!! My body just happens to age very slowly compared to your human one!! So don't call me a toddler!!!" He began to breathe hard after his screaming fit. Akira just blinked.

Kumori coughed. Then, out of nowhere, she burst into laughter. She said, "Oh my… You… You should've seen you're face Akira!!" She laughed harder.

Hikari, who had also been trying very hard not to laugh, soon joined Kumori in laughing. Both fell to the ground, rolling on the floor laughing.

"It's not funny!!" Koenma yelled. "Both of you!! Pick yourselves up off the floor this instant!!!" But Kumori and Hikari just ignored him and kept on laughing.

Finally, when they stopped laughing and had gotten up, Kurama said, "Was there a reason you called all of us here, Koenma?"

"Ah, yes. There was," Koenma replied.

"Well?" Yusuke asked. When he didn't receive an answer, he yelled, "Spill it, Pacifier Breath!"

"Yusuke, whenever you want an answer I suggest that being sophisticated and polite is a better way to get it rather than being unsophisticated and impolite," Koenma said, rather than answering Yusuke's question.

Yusuke yelled, "I don't give a damn! Why the hell did you call us here?!"

Koenma sighed. "All right, Yusuke. I suppose I should give you a reason as to why I called you all here. Well, as you know, Miss Akira Wagerman here has the Demon's Heart. As I've told you before, it's a powerful artifact and not something to be taken lightly about. Due to what happened yesterday, you should realize what could eventually happen to Akira one day if we don't keep her under constant protection. The problem of the matter was and still is that, although Akira was supposed to find out about demons and the Three Worlds later, she not supposed to find out the way she did yesterday."

"Wait," Kuwabara said, "You mean she was supposed to find out later?"

"That's what he just said, fool," Hiei sneered.

"Bite my ankles, Shorty!" Kuwabara snapped back at Hiei.

"Hey!" Kumori yelled, "Don't call him short! I'll kill you!"

Kurama cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him. "I hate to be so rude, but perhaps you three could finish this discussion later. _After_ we have found out why Koenma has called us all here."

"Oh, right," Kuwabara said. "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah." Kumori agreed boredly.

"Hn. Whatever."

"Would you please care to continue, Koenma?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah! Please?!" Hikari agreed.

"Right, well… Akira was supposed to find out later because of what Mitsuko said she would do," Koenma said.

"And what did she say I would do?" Akira asked.

Kumori spoke up, "I'll explain it to you later, Akira. I don't think you want people to see your reaction when you find out." Akira nodded.

Koenma snapped, "Would you like me to explain why I called you all here or not?" When he saw he finally had everyone's attention and they were nodding at him to continue, he said, "Well, as I was saying Akira was not supposed to find out the way she did. We had a plan with Kumori about easing her into the idea of demons and the Three Worlds existing. We didn't want to push it all on her as we had to, we wanted to start explaining bit by bit and piece by piece what was going on. It would've been much easier if we could have done it that way, but it seemed that fate wasn't on our side in this."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said, "But what does this have to do with us and why you called us here?"

Koenma sighed, "The reason I called you all here was so you would realize what's going to happen because of yesterday. I've now decided Akira's fate. It's your job to decide whether you'll accept it or not."

* * *

Ending Comments: All I want for Christmas is some reviews please! Reviews please! Reviews please! All I want for Christmas is some reviews please! So please press the button down below!


	11. Chapter 11

Manga Maid's Notes: Hello! I am alive... and old. I have just had a birthday this month! Sigh... I am old (Guess how old!)... But on the bright side, I now own the first complete season of Yu Yu Hakusho and I have a lot more manga too! Plus, I am getting a Kurama plushie too! So excited! Oh yes, I now have a YouTube account that my friend made so that we could post trailers for stories, character vids, and other random videos we make. It's under my penname without the numbers... Cause she forgot... (Gives annoyed glare to friend). We have a couple trailers for stories, **including this story**, up! Links are on my page. Also many thanks to demon of my heart and mind and to Tsuki Kiba Kumori for editing! And thank you Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, angel61991, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, and WerewolvesMoon! Thank you all and please review!! It makes me happy!!

* * *

Fear gripped Akira's heart cold as ice. She stared at the little toddler who held her future. Her heart raced and her blood was pumping so hard she could feel it in her fingertips. What would his decision be?

Kumori looked at Koenma, her eyes narrowed. "Well," she asked, her voice lowering to a menacing chill of a tone, "What did you decide?"

"Kumori," he said. "I assure you that I chose what I thought would be best."

Kumori glared at him and bared her fangs in a threatening gesture. He stepped away from her in instinct. She kept her icy glare on the toddler and Akira thought she saw Kumori's nails lengthen.

Hikari spoke, her hyper, fun-loving personality now serious. "Yeah, Koenma. What did you decide?"

"Well," Koenma stuttered, now under pressure. "I…" He cleared his throat. "I have decided that Akira will stay with Kumori and Hikari on standby, unless the Reikai Tantei needs her assistance."

Everything was silent. Akira blinked. Once. Twice. "Wait," she said, disbelieving. "You aren't going to erase my memory?"

"I considered it," Koenma said. "In fact, most people would have instantly erased your mind once you found out, my father included. But, I believe it's in the best… interest for everyone if you stay on standby. However, I want to make sure I didn't choose incorrectly. I'm doing something that could prove quite fatal if you don't have any spiritual prowess. So, this is a _temporary_ decision." He looked directly at Kumori and Hikari. "When you have time, I want you both to take her to Genkai to see if she has any power at all. If she does, my decision stands. If not, you'd best prepare yourselves for her mind wipe."

Both nodded. Koenma turned back to Akira, "Akira, I have a question to ask you, as Kumori wouldn't tell me the answer."

"Go ahead," Akira said.

"Would you mind telling me who you got the Demon's Heart from?" Koenma asked.

"Why?" Akira said, confused.

"I just need to know," Koenma answered. "So we can figure out how to up our security."

"This…" Akira said fingering the Heart nervously as everyone looked at her, "was given to me by my late father…"

"Huh?" Everyone stared at her except for Kumori.

"What?" Akira asked.

"Hold on!" Yusuke said, "I thought that humans can't enter Spirit World unless they're dead or brought here by Spirit World!"

"They can't!" Koenma said, flabbergasted. He turned to Akira, "Are you positive that this person was your father?!"

"Yes!" Akira said, "I know that was my father!"

"Hmm..." Koenma said, pondering this. Finally, he sighed, "All right. Kumori, Hikari, you take Akira home."

Both girls nodded and walked off. Akira quickly followed and caught up to them. The doors shut behind them and they walked down the hall.

Kumori frowned and seethed, "I swear on the love of all things evil and demonic!!!! Why can't Koenma ever own up to the fact that he has a fricking damned crappy security system?! I mean sheesh! He didn't have to act like it wasn't damn possible for your father to break in here!"

"Don't say he would do that…" Akira said, pleading. "My dad wasn't a thief. I know him. And he wouldn't have liked thieving one bit."

"Akira," Kumori said, trying to change the subject, "Are you positive that this wasn't someone else?"

"Yes…" Akira said, softly. "I know it was him. There was something in his eyes. Something that made me know he was my father and that I could trust him."

"Hmm… Must have been nice, having a dad you could trust and love," Kumori muttered.

"Pardon?" Akira asked.

"Did you say something?" Hikari asked.

"Nothing! I said nothing!" Kumori quickly said.

"Speaking of fathers," Hikari said. "You never talk about yours Kumori. You talk about your mom enough, but why not your dad?"

Kumori stiffened. She closed her eyes and her face became a mask of pain. "My father… well, he and I didn't get along."

"Didn't?" Hikari asked.

Kumori nodded. "He… died a long time ago."

"He did?" Akira asked. "I'm sorry… I didn't know."

"Don't be," Kumori said bitterly. She continued, "He was a fucking bastard to me and mom, so it's better he's out of our lives." She yawned and sighed, "So… tired…"

"So," Akira said, "How's it in the best interest for everyone if I keep my memories? I mean, isn't more of a risk to Kurama and you two if I accidentally mention something I'm not supposed to?"

"Ah, we don't mind." Kumori said, "Besides, Koenma knows if he tries any crap like that he'd get his ass handed to him. First, by me, then, Hikari, and lastly, Kurama."

"Kurama?! Why?" Akira asked.

"Well, Kurama likes you Akira-chan!" Hikari said, causing Akira to slightly blush. Hikari didn't notice and continued, "You're the first _normal_ girl he's ever told who accepted it flat out."

"What about Kei-?" Akira started.

"Keiko doesn't count," Hikari interrupted. "Botan and Yusuke explained everything to her before she knew what Kurama was. Kurama didn't get to explain it himself. You're the first fully human person without powers he's ever had a talk about what he is with. Ever."

Kumori continued, "Plus, you accepted him – and us- without a second thought. Kurama fears that people won't accept him if he tells them what he is. Especially his mother. That's what Hikari and I think he fears the most. But you accepted that part of us completely. Which I meant to ask you, why did you?"

Akira thought about it. Why had she? The wisest choice would have been to run from Kurama, Kumori, and Hikari once finding out what they were. A sane person would have. So why didn't she?

She took a deep breath and quoted, "'A rose is a rose is a rose…' Kumori is Kumori, Hikari is Hikari, and Kurama is Kurama. So, what? You're still my buds."

"AW!" Hikari said, glomping Akira. "That's so sweet!"

Kumori rolled her eyes. "That is the freaking cheesiest and most unoriginal thing I have ever heard… But, like Hikari said, it is sweet. Thanks." Akira smiled sheepishly.

Finally, they reached a portal. They walked through it and were outside the house. Akira remembered she had locked it and took out a key.

Kumori yawned as Akira let them in the house. Akira checked the time to see that only five minutes had passed. Then, Kumori and Hikari went to go sit in the dining room part of the conjoined kitchen and dining room, while Akira went to the kitchen. Kumori said, "I wanna go sit in a tree."

Akira turned to Kumori, stared, turned to Hikari, and then back to Kumori. "Um… Kumori? Where did that come from?"

"Hmm?" Kumori said, "I don't know… Chocolate and strawberries. Those are the two best foods ever, don't you agree?"

"Sure…" Akira said, exchanging a worried look with Hikari. Then, she went back to the fridge, looking for the leftovers from last night's dinner.

"I wanna go sit in Hiei's tree!" Kumori exclaimed.

"Hiei-san has a tree?" Akira asked.

Hikari explained, "It's not exactly _his_ tree. He just sits in it often enough that Kumori and I have named it that." Akira nodded.

"Hiei is hot," Kumori suddenly said, stating it as it was the most profound thing ever.

Both Akira and Hikari froze, and then whipped around, looking at Kumori like she had three heads. Kumori had always stated that boys were the bane of her existence and that she hated them all, except for the select few who made it into her friend group. But, she had made it quite apparent to anyone who truly knew her that she hated boys and men. When Akira or Hikari had asked why once, she had replied, "When I was born, I didn't have this red streak in my hair." And that was that. So needless to say, that coming out of her mouth was downright strange.

"What?!"

"Excuse me?!"

Kumori didn't seem to notice the weird looks she was getting. Akira came out of the kitchen and touched Kumori's forehead. Kumori jolted out of her stupor at Akira's soft pressure.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Kumori asked.

"No fever…" Akira murmured. She looked at Kumori and asked, "Are you feeling ok, Kumori?"

"Yeah. Perfectly fine. Why?" Kumori asked.

Akira shook her head. "Never mind." She got up and retreated to the kitchen, Hikari quickly dashed into the living room to watch some T.V. and avoid Kumori and her questions.

Kumori looked after them confused, then looked at the ceiling and asked, "Why do I get the feeling that I'm not being told something I should know about?"

Soon, the aromas of dinner filled the household. It was going to be last night's leftovers, which had been a mix of American and Japanese food. After it was done, Akira went upstairs to wake her siblings. All were still very sleepy, but everyone came down and after dinner, the little ones went back to bed.

Kumori went upstairs to her room, sat at her desk, and began to think about the one thing she probably hated most of all: Her father.

Kumori's father had been a well-to-do man. A man from one of Japan's richer families, he had been the heir to some sort of company, Kumori didn't remember what. But when her mother had been living in Human World for about two years, her father met her mother and he had fallen in love.

He had seemed to her mother like the perfect man. Smart, kind, generous… all that crap. He had often taken her to dinner or gone for a walk in the park. Kumori's mother fell in love with him too, so when he proposed, it seemed as if it was meant to be.

After two years of a seemingly perfect marriage, Kumori was born. Her parents had been ecstatic. It seemed that life was good. Her father spoiled both her and her mother. It was apparent he loved both his daughter and his wife. But, it would not last.

When Kumori was five, Kumori's father found out that Kumori's mother was a demon. One of Kumori's uncles from her mother's side had visited, telling her mother that Kumori's grandparents had passed away and the tribe of cat demons Kumori's mother was from was in total disarray and turmoil. According to the rules and ancient laws, Kumori's mother, who was the eldest of her siblings, had to take leadership, but most of the tribe had rejected of the idea, not wanting to follow a traitor and later, her half-breed daughter. They were all fighting each other, family against family, and brother against brother.

Kumori's father had been passing by and heard everything. Later, when he confronted Kumori's mother about it, she had come clean, telling him everything, including what she was and why her brother had been visiting. He was instantly filled with horror.

Kumori didn't understand what had happened, but she guessed that his frame of mind had broken. He began to believe that Kumori's mother lied about everything, including Kumori's parentage. He began to think that she had lied and Kumori wasn't his child. Then, he couldn't take it anymore.

Kumori shuddered at the memory. She was six and it had been right after bedtime.

"_You lying bitch!" her father screamed at her. "You've lied about everything haven't you? Haven't you?!"_

"_No…" Kumori's mother said, crying. "I didn't lie about anything. I wasn't allowed to tell you! Spirit World doesn't want humans to know about us. To get here, I had to promise I would never tell anyone! Please, honey! You have to believe me!"_

_He grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the wall. "You liar! You've lied about everything from the start!!"_

"_No… Dear, I haven't!" Kumori's mother pleaded, looking up at him sadly. She had hit her head and it had started bleeding. "Please believe me! Please! I never lied!"_

"_Don't call me, Dear!!" he screamed at her, pulling her from the wall and throwing her into the table. "You aren't the woman I fell in love with! You aren't the one I want as my wife." He pulled out a switchblade, flicking it out._

_Kumori's mother's eyes widened in horror. As he approached, she stared at him. "Honey, please!" she begged. "I love you! No one else! You have to believe me! If not for me, do it for Kumori! Honey, do it for our daughter!"_

"_Hah! You think I would do that?! I'm not even sure she's mine! How can I be sure she's my daughter when her mother's a lying, deceitful, two-faced whore!?! How?! Huh! You tell me!! Because she looks so damn much like you that you can even tell who her father is!!!" He came closer, brandishing the knife._

"_Mommy? Daddy?" A six-year-old Kumori said, walking sleepy-eyed out of her room. "Why are you fighting? It's very loud."_

"_Kumori, sweetie, go back to bed," Kumori's mother said, frantic as Kumori's father suddenly settled his gaze on his daughter. He looked half-crazy._

_He suddenly walked to his daughter. "Daddy?" Kumori asked. "Why do you have a knife?" When he didn't answer, she asked, scared, "Daddy? Daddy?! What's wrong?"_

_He stopped in front of her and knelt to her level. He pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Kumori, but I have to do this…"_

"_Do what Daddy?" Kumori asked, with her six-year-old innocence as she hugged him._

"_Please forgive me. I love you, sweetie," he said._

"_I love you too, Daddy," she said, not knowing what was going to happen as he lifted the knife over her head._

_A sharp, stabbing pain hit Kumori's head. Everything went black, but the last thing she heard was her mother screaming._

"_Kumori! KUMORI!?! KUMORI!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_

"Kumori? Kumori!" A sharp shaking woke her up.

"Huh!?!" Kumori said, sitting up and looking around. She had fallen asleep at her desk and she was in her room. Akira was looking at her worried with Hikari in the doorway.

She sighed. It had been a dream. Just a horrible, horrible dream. She was in Japan, in the Wagerman's house, where she was safe.

"Are you all right? We heard you moaning and when we came in you were shaking," Akira said, looking at her friend.

"I'm fine," Kumori said. "I just… had a nightmare. It was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hikari asked, worried for her friend. "You looked terrified."

"No," Kumori said, "I'm okay. I was just… just… Well, let's just say, I was experiencing a memory I'd rather forget."

Akira nodded and said, "Well, I'll be in my room if you need me."

Hikari added, "And I'll be downstairs."

Kumori nodded and they left. After they left, Kumori sighed again and touched the streak of blood-red hair. The souvenir of that awful night. Kumori's mother had explained to her last year, that if a cat demon from their tribe's head was ever severely injured, it would leave red strands in the hair. The more deadly the attack, the more strands.

Kumori bit back bile and rubbed her forehead, trying to rub away the memory. She got up, feeling sick, and walked out of her room, going to the bathroom. When she reached there, she ran to the toilet, opening it, and throwing up into it.

After she finished, she flushed and went back to her room. She climbed out of her window and onto the roof. There she sat, hugging herself and staring at the stars as she fought back memories.

"Hn. What's wrong with you, onna?" a familiar voice asked.

Kumori turned quickly to face Hiei. "Hiei! What are you doing here?!" she asked, confused.

Hiei turned away. "Hn." It was obvious that was the only answer he was going to give.

Kumori stared at him. Then she shook her head and went back to staring at the stars. She stared for a while until Hiei broke the silence.

"You were sick." It wasn't a question.

Kumori looked back at him and noticed his back was to her still. He had his head turned toward her, looking at her face. She realized that the smell of vomit must still be fresh, especially from her mouth. "Yes…" she said, reluctant, "I was. Was there a question there?"

Hiei's eyes narrowed. He turned away. "I just noticed. That was all."

"Oh…" Kumori said, not knowing what to say.

All was silent. Neither Hiei nor Kumori spoke. Finally, Kumori broke the silence.

"Hiei, do you think life has a purpose?"

Hiei looked puzzled and a little troubled, then closed his eyes and scoffed, "What kind of question is that onna?"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "Oh, just asking." She turned back to the blue-black, glittering mass that made the night sky. She began to drift off to the land of thoughts, barely noticing that Hiei was still there.

Suddenly, a car door slam and the click-clack of steps brought Kumori back. She and Hiei both turned to see Mrs. Wagerman walking from her car to the house. Seeing her reminded Kumori that she and Akira hadn't asked if Hikari could stay.

"Crap!" Kumori said. "Sorry, Hiei, I have to go. I'll see ya around."

Hiei "hn"ed and Kumori taking that as his goodbye, darted back into the house. She bolted for Akira's room. When she reached there, she began banging on Akira's door.

"Akira! Open the door!" Kumori yelled.

The door flew open. Akira was in the doorway. "Kumori? What is going on? Is something wrong?"

"Your mom is back!" Kumori said.

"So?" Akira asked.

"Akira!! Did you forget that she doesn't know that Hikari is staying here!?!" Kumori snapped.

Akira's face turned from calm to nervous in a heartbeat. She said, "Crap! We have to get down there!"

"No really! I didn't realize that already!" Kumori bit sarcastically, but Akira had darted down the stairs. Kumori followed her. Both joined Hikari on the couch.

When Akira's mom entered, she yelled, "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri!" All three girls answered.

Minori turned to see her daughter and her two friends still up. "Akira? Kumori? You're still up? It's 11:30! Hikari-chan? You're still here? Isn't your family wondering where you are?"

"Um… Mom? That's what we are up for," Akira said, not meeting her mother's gaze.

"What happened?" Minori asked, already suspicious.

"Well…" Kumori started.

"I got kicked out Mrs. Wagerman! My uncle kicked me out a couple of days ago and I have nowhere else to go! This is the only place I could think of. So I came here and I was wondering if I could stay. I don't mean to drop in like this, but I really do need a place to stay otherwise I wouldn't be asking. My uncle won't allow me back in, so if I can't stay here I have to go live on the streets. I promise I won't make trouble and I'll be good and I'll help Akira and Kumori watch the other kids! Just please! Please, can I stay?" Hikari explained quickly. After she finished, she put on a puppy-dog look.

Instantly, Minori caved. "Of course, Hikari-chan! You're welcome to stay as long as you need. You can take the guest room until you find a place to stay. Don't worry; I don't think anyone will mind!"

Hikari grinned. "That's great!! Thanks Mrs. Wagerman!"

Kumori and Akira's jaws dropped. They both stared at Minori, then at Hikari, and then back at Minori again.

"How fast _was_ that?" Akira whispered to Kumori, referring to how long it took for her mother to cave.

"1.5 seconds," Kumori answered.

"Wow, she beat your record," Akira said, stunned. "How'd she do that?!"

"It has to be because she's a half-wolf demon. They're very good at getting people to see things their way and they can pull off astounding puppy-dog faces," Kumori said, just as equally stunned.

"Wait. How come her puppy-dog faces don't work on us?" Akira asked, remembering several times Hikari had pulled a puppy-dog face on them.

"I'm half-cat demon," Kumori answered. "We don't give into any type of dog often. So I have a defense in my blood. As for you, I think the Demon's Heart protects you from anything that can hurt you."

"What?" Akira asked, turning to Kumori.

"Now, girls," Minori said, "Tomorrow's a school day. You need your rest. Now, go get ready for bed. Ok?"

All three girls nodded. They went up the stairs. As they ran up the stairs, Kumori whispered to Akira, "I'll explain tomorrow what I meant."

Akira nodded. She waved to her friends and walked to her room. She changed into her nightgown and crawled into her bed. She looked at the balcony and waited for Kurama, staring at the full moon that lit up her balcony. She wanted to ask him some questions.

She grinned slightly when a figure with crimson hair appeared. The moon lit up Kurama's features and he glanced at her, noticing her grin. He shook his head, his hair dancing a little and said, "Don't you have school in the morning?"

She replied, "Don't you?"

"Yes. But I also have to protect you from demons, if you remember," he replied, cheekily. Akira could tell he was smirking.

Akira asked. "What put you in such a teasing mood, Kurama?"

Kurama ignored her and turned to the moon. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, Akira saw gold instead of green. She blinked and they were back to green again. She rubbed her eyes.

"Actually, the reason I'm up is because I had some questions for you," Akira said. She turned doubtful, but asked, "Would you be willing to answer them?"

"Will it make you go to sleep?" Kurama asked, turning back to her. When Akira nodded, he said, "I do not mind answering a few questions, but you must go to sleep afterward. You need sleep. Understand?"

Akira nodded and asked, "I was wondering… What were you like when you were a kitsune?"

Kurama sighed, "I was cold, cutthroat, and ruthless. I was also quiet arrogant. I didn't mention when I mentioned I was a thief that I ruled a band of thieves. There, I was something to be feared. I killed those weaker than me and those who didn't meet my standards. I even went as far as killing my own men who failed me."

Akira asked, "Why did you do that?"

Kurama explained, "In Demon World, it's kill or be killed. You respect the strongest and rid yourself of the weakest. I followed those rules with exactness. I used my men and when they weren't useful anymore, I killed them."

Akira asked, "Kurama… do ever regret it? Killing them?"

He thought about it for a moment. "... Yes… But thieves aren't loyal to each other which is why I killed them. They use each other to get gain only for themselves. Very rarely do you ever find thieves that trust each other with their lives."

"Did you ever have a friend like that?" Akira asked.

"Yes… But he died in a raid saving my life instead of his own. I never wanted to experience a loss like that again, so I kept away from my men and turned them into my tools. Now I must ask you a question."

"Ok…" Akira said, "Go ahead."

"What do you make of me now that I've told you all this?" he asked.

Akira thought about it. "It bothers me a little," Akira said. "That you killed all those men… But oddly enough, I'm not afraid of you."

"Why not?" Kurama asked, truly interested.

"Kurama is Kurama. No one else," Akira answered. "That's the only answer I can think of. You're you. I know it's not good, but it's all I've got. You're my friend and I don't have many of them. So, I treasure the ones I have. Flaws and all."

A small smile touched Kurama's face. He closed his eyes and said, "Thank you."

Akira smiled at him, "You're welcome, Kurama."

"Now," Kurama said, "You need your sleep."

"Aw, Kurama! I have a lot more questions!" Akira complained.

"You can ask them me tomorrow. Now, go to sleep," Kurama said, turning back to the moon.

Akira closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, after school…

"Can you believe Mr. Iwamoto!?!" Kumori steamed. "That no good, son of a bitch!!"

"Hey! I resent that remark!!" Hikari said.

"I'm sorry Hikari, but he assigned us a crap load of homework!! Can you blame me?!?" Kumori steamed.

"Oh, come now…" Akira said, "It's just reading Chapter 12 of the book."

"Yes, but it's boring!!" Kumori said. "It just goes on and on and on!! I hate that man!! He should get fired!!"

"I agree with you there!!" A voice said.

The three girls turned to see Yusuke and Kuwabara behind them. Yusuke had been the one who spoke. He waved in greeting.

"Yusuke! Kuwabara!" Hikari said, smiling.

"Urameshi-san! Kuwabara-san!" Akira said, surprised.

"Oh, look. It's Idiot 1 and Idiot 2…" Kumori said, annoyed.

Both Yusuke and Kuwabara ignored Kumori's comment. Yusuke said, "Hey, listen. We were thinking of heading to Genkai's today and wanted to see if you guys wanted to go! How 'bout it!? Keiko's coming with us and I think Hiei and Kurama are gonna be there, so it can be like a little party."

"Sounds great!" Hikari said, happily. "Let's go!!"

"I could use a trip to Genkai's," Kumori agreed. "Besides Akira needs to meet Genkai, so we'd kill two birds with one stone." Everyone turned to Akira.

"I'd love to… But I have siblings to watch…" Akira said, smiling sadly. "Sorry. Maybe another time?"

Kumori frowned. "Hn… Well, that's no good."

Hikari said, "Hey! Didn't your mom say they had lessons today?"

Akira thought about it. "I'm not sure… I need to go home, though and check, just in case." Kumori and Hikari nodded. Akira turned to the boys, "You both can come if you would like. Keiko too, if she's coming."

Both boys nodded and Yusuke ran off to go get Keiko. When they had come back, the small little group headed to Akira's house. As they walked, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Keiko began a conversation while Akira and Hikari talked to Kumori.

"So what did you mean last night? And who is Genkai?" Akira asked.

"Ok," Kumori said, as Hikari ran up and joined them. "What I meant is I think the Demon's Heart protects you from attacks that would normally affect you badly. When that demon that attacked you and me, Akira, and it squeezed you, it should have killed you. Also, something like Hikari's gift could do something like persuade you jump off a cliff or something. I think it protects you, because if you die, it dies."

"It does?" Akira asked. "I didn't know that…"

"Yeah!" Hikari said. "Koenma told Kurama and us that when we first started protecting you! That's why we had to take protecting you very seriously. Koenma wants to preserve that power."

"But, I can't use it…" Akira said.

"No," Kumori said, "And you're not supposed to. According to Mitsuko, you'll never be able to."

"Huh?!" Hikari and Akira both said.

"What do you mean she can't use it?" Hikari asked.

"In her diary, Mitsuko mentions a couple of time dreaming about a girl who has her Heart. She's usually around either two-half demons or a kitsune that's in a human's body. Knowing that, someone would know it's Akira if they knew the whole truth about everyone and knew Akira. She said though that the girl AKA Akira can't use the power inside. Never said why, just said she can't call on it. And that's that."

Hikari blinked. "Wow… Poor Akira." She patted Akira on the head. "You're being targeted for a power you can't use."

Akira smiled. "Oh well… Any who, Kumori, who is Genkai?"

"Genkai is Yusuke's mentor. She's a master of Spirit Energy. That's why Koenma wants you to go there. So we can see if you can use yours. She can be crabby, but she's nice enough… If you listen." Kumori explained.

"Hey ladies, would you like to tell us what you're talking about?!" Yusuke called.

"None of your business, dimwit!" Kumori called back. She noticed they had reached the house and said, "Anyway, we're here."

"Woah!" Kuwabara said, looking at the house. "This is your house!?! It's huge!!"

Akira smiled, "It fits my family. We have 12 people living here so it works." She walked up to the door to see a note pinned on it.

_Akira,_

_Akane, the triplets, and the twins have lessons today, in case you forgot. We close late today, so won't be back until midnight. Don't stay up. Make sure you three get your work done and be good. _

_Love you, Mom._

"Well," Akira called. "Apparently, I'm sibling free today. But if I go, we have to get our homework done, ok?!"

Kumori and Hikari nodded. Hikari said, "It's a two hour train ride to Genkai's! We can get it done on the train!"

Akira nodded. "All right then. I'll go!"

"Yeah!" Kuwabara said, "All right! You get to meet the love of my life, Yukina!!!"

"Yukina?" Akira asked Kumori.

"A koorime. They're also known as ice maidens. She's really nice, you'll like her," Kumori said, staring at Kuwabara as he spouted romantic nonsense for Yukina. She then jumped up and whacked him. "Would you knock it off?! You're being an idiot again!!"

Kuwabara rubbed the abused spot on his head and yelled, "Hey! Quit hitting me you shor-!"

"All right everyone!" Yusuke yelled, interrupting Kuwabara's yelling. "Enough yapping. Let's go to the train station!"

Everyone nodded and they began walking to the station to get tickets.

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Ending Comments: Yep! There's the long awaited for Chapter 11. I hope you liked it! Now, all I would like in return is some reviews from you wonderful readers. Please!!


	12. Chapter 12

Manga Maid's Notes: Well, I'm back. Sorry, this took awhile. I was in Texas for a week and three days. It was freezing! Even the weatherman said it was abnormally low. So, yeah. Well, I'm home and loving being snuggled up in my blankets. ^^ So, here are my thank yous! Thank you demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori for editing and thank you to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, and Raylita! Thank you all for your Story Alerts, Favorites, and Reviews!!

* * *

Akira looked up from her book she had grabbed before they left and looked out the train window. Fields passed by quickly and she glanced to the people all sitting in the seats by her. Hikari was across from her looking out the window, while Kumori was beside her and napping. Kumori was also clinging onto her katana, which she had run back to get before they had gone to the train.

Keiko, Yusuke, and Kuwabara had the seats across the hall. Yusuke and Kuwabara were arguing about something or other and Keiko was trying to get them to stop. As far as Akira could tell, her attempts were futile, though she had whacked them pretty hard in the last couple of minutes.

Akira shook her head and went back to reading at her book. It was about a woman who had found her husband cheating on her. Where she was, the woman was drawing up divorce papers and just had an emotional breakdown.

"I'm bored," Hikari stated.

Akira looked up. "Uh? Oh… um… I'm sorry," she said, a little disoriented. She went back to reading her book.

Hikari spoke again. "I'm bored."

Akira looked up again, her brow furrowing. She frowned, and then realized why Hikari was repeating herself. She was trying to wake up Kumori.

Hikari was staring intently at Kumori. Kumori, who was showing no signs of life except for her breathing and clinging to her katana, was curled up in the chair. Hikari poked her target, repeating herself for a third time.

"Hikari… I don't think…" Akira started as Hikari repeated her action, but it was too late.

Kumori's eyes shot open and they were infuriated. The icy blue orbs darted around looking for the culprit. When she couldn't tell who it was, she spoke in a forced calm. "Who the hell poked me?"

She looked at Akira, eyes questioning. Akira shook her head. Then, she looked at Hikari, who gave the same response.

Kumori's eyes narrowed. Then, going back to her sleeping position, she said, "If anyone pokes me again, they will die." She closed her eyes, but a frown stayed on her face.

Akira shook her head and sighed. She bit her lip, thinking about warning Hikari as she got ready to poke Kumori again. She sighed and knew that Hikari already knew the consequences and decided to go back to her book and ignore the goings-on in the seats beside her.

This time, however, when Hikari poked Kumori, Kumori grabbed her hand with lightning fast reflexes. She gripped the offending hand tightly and glared at Hikari. Hikari pulled an innocent face, but by the enraged look on Kumori's face, it obviously wasn't working.

Kumori snarled, "Quit fuckin' poking me, Hikari. I am trying to take a nap."

"But I'm bored…" Hikari said, looking at Kumori with sad, pleading eyes.

"Go bother someone else then," Kumori snapped. She released Hikari's hand and leaned back in her chair. "I mean it, Hikari! Poke me again, and I shall enjoy myself while I kill you!!" Then, she closed her eyes and went back to napping.

Hikari looked at Akira, who smiled sadly at her as if to say, 'You know Kumori' then at Kumori. By the look in her eyes, she seemed to be making a decision. Then, after she had decided, she reached over and poked Kumori again.

Kumori, luckily, ignored her temper screaming at her to make Hikari understand what it meant to bother her while she was trying to take a nap, determined to get some sleep. But this time, it was Akira who decided to bother her."

Um? Kumori?" Akira asked. "I have a question for you."

"Then you should ask it," Kumori said, keeping her eyes closed.

"Ok… Um… Do you like Hiei-san or something?" Akira said, nervous about Kumori's reaction to the question.

Kumori's eyes shot wide open. She stared at Akira, surprise in her eyes and a blush painting her cheek. "Excuse me?" Kumori asked, startled. "What made you think something as frickin' stupid as that?"

"Oh… Um…" Akira stuttered as Kumori gave her a look that made her feel as if she was being X-rayed.

"You mentioned Hiei yesterday," Hikari said, nonchalantly. "You said he was hot." She stared at Kumori. "So, do you or not?"

"So that's what you two weren't telling me!" Kumori exclaimed. She turned away. "I meant he was hot in the literal sense, since he is half fire demon," she muttered, her blush deepening. She wouldn't look Akira or Kumori in the face.

"Nuh-uh!" Hikari said. "Your face says different, Kumori!!" Kumori turned to glare at Hikari, but her blush darkened.

"So you do like him?" Akira asked. She watched Kumori's face closely, looking for any reactions.

"It's none of your damned business," Kumori muttered. Then she turned on Akira, "And so what if I do? What about you and Kurama, Akira?"

Hikari turned to face Akira along with Kumori. Both stared at her intensely, eyes penetrating. Now, Akira had a feeling what a sacrificial lamb felt like.

"What do you mean?" Akira said, turning away, blushing as well. "He and I are just friends."

"But you like him more than a friend, am I right?" Kumori said, staring at Akira.

"Um…" Akira bit her lip.

"Akira, I wasn't born yesterday… Tell me… Please," Kumori said, looking at her friend with pleading eyes.

"Yeah! We're your friends, Akira," Hikari said, looking at her. "Doesn't that matter to you?"

Akira sighed. "And if I do?" Akira said, looking at them. "What does it matter? He doesn't like me that way."

Kumori patted Akira's head. "Poor you. I know how you feel." Then, she turned to Hikari. "And what about you wolf-girl? You're the only one not telling us who you like."

Hikari blinked. She then said in a deadly quiet voice, "I'm not sure yet…"

"Yet?" Akira pressed, looking into her friend's eyes.

"Well, I _think_ I like him… But, I've only met him a few times, so I'm not so sure," Hikari said.

Kumori asked, "Have we met him?"

Hikari said, "You have Kumori… I think. But, I know Akira hasn't. But I don't know if he likes someone else."

Kumori said, "Well, we have two of us who like guys who they are sure don't like them back and one of us who's not sure. How sad we are."

"As Shakespeare wrote, 'What fools these mortals be,'" Akira agreed.

"Granted two of us are half…" Hikari said. All three girls laughed at that. Then, after they finished, it got quiet.

All three girls looked over to make sure that Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Keiko hadn't heard any part of the conversation they had just had. Luckily for them, Yusuke and Kuwabara had gotten into yet another fight, so their secrets were safe… For now. After checking, Akira went back to her book, Kumori went back to napping, and Hikari went to doodling on the window with her finger.

About an hour later, the train called for their stop. Everyone stood and disembarked the train. After the train left, Akira followed Kumori and Hikari who were following Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Keiko. They walked for a little while, until they reached the mountain of steps that led up to Genkai's temple. There stood two figures that Akira didn't recognize.

One was an older woman with pink-gray hair and brown eyes. She was shorter than Kumori and she wore a red and white fighter outfit. Akira noted that she was glaring down at Yusuke. She supposed this might be Genkai.

The other figure was small, though a little taller than Kumori. She looked to be about their age. She had turquoise-green hair held in a ponytail and crimson red eyes. She was dressed in a pale blue yukata with a dark blue ribbon tying it. She smiled down at them.

"Yukina!!" Kuwabara yelled, suddenly bolting up the stairs to grab Yukina's hands. Well, Akira knew who she was now.

"Hello Kazuma," she spoke, smiling at him.

As Kuwabara began to spout nonsense again, Kumori was about to run up and whack him. But something happened which changed her plans.

A butterfly flew by Hikari. She grinned after it, suddenly interested, and followed it off the trail into the forest, trying to catch it. She jumped about to catch it, and missed. Then she chased it deeper in the forest until she was out of sight.

Kumori rolled her eyes. Then she sighed and yelled, "Hikari! Get your ass back here! You'll only get lost!!" Realizing that Hikari was too far away to hear her, Kumori sighed and followed her into the forest.

Kumori followed quickly, ignoring the calls of her own name, telling her to stay put. She had to catch up to Hikari. If she didn't, Hikari might get hurt because of her own carelessness. Kumori decided to turn into her half-demon form to keep up when she briefly lost sight of her.

When she did, she darted quickly through the woods, following the orange hair of Hikari deeper into the Dark Forest. She frowned as Hikari kept playing with the butterfly.

"Hikari!" she yelled. "You need to get back here!! Everyone will worry if we are gone for too long!!"

Hikari seemed to ignore her. This annoyed Kumori because she knew that Hikari knew better. Kumori frowned and called out to her several times. Hikari continued to ignore her. After a while, Kumori felt her strength began to wane.

"When I get a hold of her," Kumori seethed, as she panted. Hikari had kept her running for a long time and she was tired. "I'm going to beat the stuffing out of her, kick her ass, curse her, kill her, bring her back to life to clean up the mess, and kill her again."

As Hikari suddenly giggled, Kumori froze. The giggle had been a high valley girl giggle. Hikari _never_ giggled like that. Never. Hikari thought girls who giggled like that were annoying.

Kumori stopped and suddenly, "Hikari" stopped. "Show your true form!" Kumori snarled, pulling out her katana with one hand and holding up the claws on the other.

Hikari turned. She smirked. "Well, well," she said, in a whiney man's voice. "You seem to have figured out my game."

She transformed into a demon with red pupil-less eyes, sickly gray skin, and a balding scalp. His arms were long and gangly and his legs matched. He wore only a ragged sort of loincloth. Each finger and toenail was a claw. He smelled of rotten meat and sweat.

Kumori realized with a sinking feeling that he must have taken the real Hikari's place when she had briefly lost sight of her. She felt so stupid. How could she have missed that stench that he now possessed? She mentally began to beat herself up over her mistake.

He chuckled. "Not who you thought huh, sweetling?" he asked in a simpering tone. He snickered and began to saunter forward.

Kumori pointed her katana at him. "I warn you. Come any closer and I'll slit your throat, castrate and disembowel you."

He chuckled. "Don't pretend to be all-threatening girlie. I know you know you're out of energy from your little pursuit of me. Besides, you're only a half-demon. I can easily overpower you if I so wish."

Kumori hissed at him, but she knew deep down that he was right. She was tired and she probably could barely hold her own. She would try though. But, as she made this decision, she felt her heart sink.

The demon lunged at her with a scream. She lifted her katana as he flew towards her. When he came close enough, she swiped.

It cut him from the left shoulder to the right hip, but it was only a shallow cut. He landed and chuckled.

"Shit!" Kumori swore as she felt a sharp sting. Her arm had a shallow cut as well and it was bleeding.

He laughed, licking the blood from his fingers. "Don't fret sweetling. You and I both knew that you couldn't fight me off anyway. Why bother?"

Kumori stood up and pointed her sword again at him. He smiled sickly at her. Kumori could see the wheels in his head turning.

"You're a feisty one. I like girls feisty. It's so much fun to break their will and force them to submit to me. Tell you what, if you give in right now, I'll be gentle and won't break you as hard as the others. How about it?"

Kumori felt adrenaline pulse through her veins. She would not submit to this man. No, man wasn't the right word. To this sick hellspawn.

She spoke, "Hey, how about I don't, and I quickly kill you. Does that sound fair?"

He glared at her and said, "Fine! If that's the way you want it…" He lunged again.

Kumori was ready. This time, instead of slicing at him, she pulled her katana out and held it at a certain angle that he impaled himself on it. He screeched and coughed out blood. Kumori kicked him off the sword and wiped it on the grass.

Kumori sighed and sank to her feet. She noticed sweat was pouring down her face. She wiped it away and stood up, shaking.

"All right…" she said. "Now which way is back?" She tried to focus on Genkai's temple, but her energy was so low, she couldn't even focus on a leaf. "Ok…" she said, frowning. "It seems I have to wander around for a little bit."

She began to wander around, following any source of light she could find. She wandered for the good part of over an hour.

Finally, she stopped. She knew it was useless. She was far too tired and thirsty from her run to even think about taking another step for a little while. She sighed as she realized she had made herself even more lost. She knew Akira would worry and that everyone would start looking for her soon. She forced herself to stand and then, something drew her attention.

A weird sensation went across her arm. She turned and saw a bright green snake slithering up her arm. She knew it was poisonous. When it suddenly opened its jaws, showing its fangs, she shook it off and sliced its head off before it could bite her.

Instantly she wished she hadn't. In response to a family member's head being cut off, thousands of snakes fell from the trees along with some spiders. Kumori looked and realized her mistake.

"Aw! Hell no!" she exclaimed, knowing that she didn't have enough strength to fight them all off without getting bit. She closed her eyes, ready to give in to the thousands of snakes. She remembered Kurama saying something about the venom burning like a fire in your blood as it killed you and she hoped her death would be quick.

Suddenly, a quick sound of someone moving rapidly caught her off guard. She opened her eyes to see all the snakes and spiders dead at her feet. She turned to see a certain figure with black spiky hair, wearing a black cloak.

She blinked. "Hiei!?" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

He turned and glared. "Don't think anything of it. Kurama and Genkai sent me to go find you when you and the human girl didn't appear out of the forest."

"Wait…" Kumori asked, "Hikari's ok?"

"She's fine," Hiei answered curtly. "She appeared only minutes after you and the human girl went in to go find her."

Then, Kumori realized something. "Wait, when you said 'human girl' did you mean Akira?"

"Obviously," Hiei retorted.

"You mean she followed me? Into the forest?"

"That's what I said wasn't it?" Hiei snapped.

Kumori froze. "Oh no." She asked, "Hiei, have they found her yet?"

"Why would I want to waste my time trying to see if they've found a human girl?" Hiei said, irritated

"Because you _know_ what she possesses and you _know_ that she-!" Kumori started.

Hiei cut her off. "She is of no use to me; therefore she does not matter to me. Why waste my time?"

Kumori fell silent, knowing she would not be able to reason with Hiei right now. She sighed, "Can you at least lead me out of here?"

Hiei turned away and stalked off. Kumori understanding that was his way of saying 'yes' followed him. He led her for about a half hour through the woods at a pace where Kumori could keep up.

When they reached outside the forest, Kumori fell to her knees. "Thanks Hiei," she panted.

"Hn."

Kumori looked up when she heard what she thought was Hiei's departure. Sure enough, when she looked up, he was gone. She shook her head and began to feel dizzy. She put her head between her legs to feel better.

Suddenly, a scream of joy came from the temple. Kumori saw orange hair flying towards her. Hikari tackled her in a hug, squeezing the air out her lungs.

"Kumori!!" Hikari cried, "I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking!! When I came back and found that both you and Akira went into the forest, I got so worried!!" Tears fell down Hikari's face onto Kumori's head.

"S'all right, Hikari. I'm fine. Hiei found me. Where is everyone else? Are you ok? And can you let me go?" Kumori asked.

Hikari released her friend and nodded. "I'm fine. As for everyone else, I think Kuwabara is inside with Yukina and Keiko, while Yusuke, Genkai, Hiei, and Kurama went to go find you and Akira."

"How did you get back?" Kumori asked. "When I tried, I got lost."

Hikari said, "I was chasing the butterfly, but when I heard you yell at me to come back, I stopped. I used my nose to get back. After all, it's a little more reliable than sight."

Kumori slapped her forehead. "Gah! I should've remembered that you can sniff your way out of the forest. So, is Akira back? Hiei wouldn't tell me. Is she ok? Is she hurt?"

Hikari looked away. "We don't know. The others haven't returned with her yet… I would've thought by now that they would've come back with her, but they haven't. They're still looking."

Kumori's heart froze and then shattered and the pieces began to sink. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thoughts of the various ways Akira could have been killed in the forest. Eaten by some demon. Stabbed by some plant. Poisoned. Drowned. All ended up with Akira either being a pile of bones or cold, pale, and lifeless.

"Kumori," Hikari said, her voice sounding as if it was in the darkest depths of despair. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

"No," she said, her voice sounding hollow, but her voice grew stronger with every word. "No. I know Akira. She wouldn't die from this. She wouldn't. You know that Hikari. She's probably wandering the forest somewhere right now. Someone will find her. Then, they'll come back with her. "

Hikari nodded, a little hope coming back into her eyes. She said, "I know. But I hope that whoever finds her will finds her before she's… you know…"

"They'll find her," Kumori said. "They can't fail her. They can't. Cause if they do, I shall kick their asses then cheerfully beat them to death in whatever morbid way I can think of."

Hikari shook her head, wearing a slightly exasperated smile on her face. Then she shivered as a cold breeze blew. She stood up and said, rubbing her arms, "Let's go inside. We'll know when she comes back."

Kumori nodded and then both girls walked inside to wait for their friend.

Back with Akira a couple hours ago…

When Hikari had run after the butterfly, Akira had watched confused. She then remembered that Hikari was part canine. As Hikari ran into the forest, she watched Kumori, confused when Kumori had rolled her eyes and sighed.

Then Kumori had run after Hikari, yelling after her. Akira, not wanting to be left behind with people she didn't know, followed Kumori. She called, "Wait up, Kumori!!" Then, she went into the Dark Forest.

Akira followed Kumori's silver hair, glowing in the pale light coming through the trees. Then, she watched as Kumori transform and, to her horror, bolt off so quickly off somewhere where she couldn't see her anymore. She stopped, knowing that it was futile to try and follow Kumori. Her human legs, while strong from being a dancer, could never keep up with a half-demon's speed.

She decided to turn back, but then she realized she hadn't paid attention to the way they had been going. She decided to walk off in the opposite direction as she had seen Kumori bolt, hoping that she would make it back through the forest to Genkai's temple. Then, maybe she could wait for them or get some help.

As she walked, the light began to fade and the forest grew dark. She bit her lip, knowing that it would be harder to find the way back in the dark. She took a step when she was suddenly picked up by the foot and lifted up.

She looked around and noticed it was a plant root that had her foot. Then, she saw that the plant had teeth. She groaned.

"Why, oh why, does this happen to me?!" she exclaimed, trying to wriggle away. In the process, she freed herself, but cut her leg and lost one of her shoes. She bolted away, running as fast as she could from the plant, but another root grabbed her.

She hung upside-down again. This time, she was unable to free herself. She closed her eyes, knowing from her last experience with a demon that she wouldn't be able to escape. But that didn't stop her from hoping that this plant wouldn't get a chance to eat her.

She was snapped out of her hoping, when a high screeching sound that sounded like nails on a chalkboard hit her ears. She opened her eyes to see the plant's head, or whatever it was, writhing in pain. But the thing that stunned her was that its head was off the stem and green juice-like goop was flowing from it like blood.

She stared at it, as it began to shrivel away. Then, she realized that the vine that held her was shriveling away as well. She landed on her back and sat up, shaking her head. She put her shoe on and looked around.

She saw the glint off something silver nearby. "Kumori?" she called. The silver thing started like it was startled and started to move away. "Wait!" she called, following the silver glint.

She followed the silver thing for about twenty minutes. The trees began to become bamboo and she heard the sound of water running. Then, she noticed the clearing that the silver glint had led her.

It was a small clearing. She didn't see whoever it was anymore. She sat down catching her breath, by taking deep breaths. In and out. In and out.

After she stopped panting, she looked around. She was by a pure crystalline lake, surrounded by bamboo. A waterfall fell into the water. Then, her throat suddenly felt bone dry.

She cupped up some water from the waterfall into her hands and drank. It quenched the thirst that racked at her throat like a prisoner screaming for release. She sighed and felt better.

She sat on the bank, watched it, and then she felt tiredness started to try and claim her body. She closed her eyes and she drifted.

When Akira looked around, she was in a misty fog. It changed colors like a rainbow. She blinked and then saw someone in the mist.

She walked towards the figure and when she got close enough saw Mitsuko. She blinked and asked, "Mitsuko?"

Mitsuko smiled. Her hair was still short, her body still carried the same scars from her punishment. "Hello, Akira."

"You know my name?" Akira asked, stunned. "How-?"

"I've known your name for many centuries, little one," she said, patting the top of Akira's head. She smiled. "You remind me of a friend of mine from many years ago. Hana. She was very sweet like you, but she also held a secret from all of those she loved." Her eyes looked to a far off time and her smile became sad.

"Mitsuko?" Akira asked, worried.

"I'm all right, little one," she said. "I was just missing my friends." She smiled, "Now then, you must be wondering why I showed you my past."

Akira nodded.

Mitsuko smiled, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet. But I can tell you that you were given my Heart for a reason. I can't tell you the reason yet either."

Akira sighed. "So, I'm doing this blind?" she asked, looking up at Mitsuko, a little nervous.

"No. Not blind," Mitsuko said. She chuckled. It was a small tinkling sound. "I'm not stupid enough to leave the new guardian of my Heart blind. When you come to and get out of the forest, ask your friend… Kumori was it?" When Akira nodded, she continued, "Kumori then. Ask Kumori if she can get you my diary. She'll know what you mean."

Akira nodded, showing Mitsuko that she understood. She then asked, "Why can't you tell me why you showed me your past or the reason I have your Heart?"

Mitsuko chuckled the same tinkling laugh again. "You'll find out soon enough. Don't worry Akira. As long as you have your friends with you, you'll be fine. Now, it's time I leave you alone and let you wake up and get out of the forest. Don't forget my diary, that's the key to understanding why you were picked. Promise me, Akira." Her eyes were serious.

"I promise," Akira said solemnly, looking into Mitsuko's eyes.

Mitsuko smiled and closed her eyes, looking quite at peace. She seemed pleased by Akira's answer. She nodded. Then, she stepped away into the mist. Akira watched her go until she was out of sight. Then the mist blew away, leaving Akira alone in the blackness as her dream started.

A hand was on Akira's wrist, feeling for a pulse, while something furry was against her chest. It felt odd somehow though. The hand had long nails, like claws if she thought about it.

She blinked and saw silver over her face. Then, it vanished like a phantom. She sat up.

'Was that a demon?' she thought. 'No… If it was, then why was it checking my pulse? To see if I was still good to eat?' She shook her head and looked around.

A glint of silver caught her eyes. She turned towards it and recognized it as the same figure she had followed earlier. She called out to it. "Hello?"

Again, it darted away. This time though, it was much faster.

She put out a hand as if to stop it. She cried out, "Wait!!' She bolted after it "I'm not going to hurt you!! Wait up!!"

The figure darted away from her. Akira sighed as she bolted after it. Didn't it understand that she wouldn't hurt it?

Then she heard something when the figure vanished for a moment which startled her. It was a ghostly chuckle. And it was in what she thought to be a man's voice.

She stopped dead. What was going on? Was the figure laughing? Or was it someone else? And if it was the figure, was it leading her away from where she was supposed to go?

The silver glint was back again. She could feel it patiently watching her. It seemed as if it was silently laughing at her. It unnerved her.

She walked slowly towards the figure trying not to make a noise. When she was about to see it, whatever it was, it darted away. Then, she was forced to follow it again. This time though, she was forced to sprint.

As she ran after it, the chuckle began to be repeated again and again until Akira realized that the figure _was_ the one laughing. After a few more turns, she then figured out that it thought this as a game to be played. To see how long it could play keep away from her before she caught it.

'Ok,' she thought. 'I've played games like this with the triplets before. Shouldn't be too hard to catch whoever it is.'

Unfortunately, Akira was dead wrong. It was hard. Hard and annoying. The figure was very fast and it seemed to know when Akira got too close.

As Akira tried to catch whoever this was for the umpteenth time, she missed and fell on her face by tripping over a branch. She growled in frustration. This time, the chuckle was a full out laugh. Akira was sure now that this was a man.

"Just wait till I catch you!!" she yelled, darting after the figure.

He led her on. Sometimes on trails, sometimes on rough terrain. Akira was sure she had been following this man for over an hour at least.

Finally, light began to come into view. She still followed the figure as he went out into the moonlight. Then she saw him standing, fully bathed in the moonlight, with his back to her and the forest.

Her run slowed to a walk. She caught up and saw the figure. Her breath stopped as she caught sight of her savior. Her heart pounded in fear and apprehension. She knew it was not Kumori. But, it also wasn't anyone she recognized at all.

There, dressed in a white, sleeveless tunic and matching pants, stood a tall, pale white man with long silver hair. He possessed silver fox ears and a matching tail. But what stunned her was that, when he turned to face her with a satisfied smirk, his eyes were a gleaming gold.

He spoke, his voice confirming he was the figure. His tone was mysterious, but held a small amount of overconfidence. "Well, hello…"

Akira gulped, "H-H-Hello…"

As he smirked back at her nervousness, eyes appraising, Akira knew that she had just gotten herself into a deeper mess.

* * *

Ending Comments: Well, you know how I love reviews! So review please! I will reward your efforts to review with a new chappter! Also, can you guess who Hikari likes? ^-^ If you guess correctly, I shall honor the winners by announcing who won in my next Manga Maid's Notes and I shall give you cookies!! Oh yes, a hint to get you guessing. The hint is: Look for him in the Dark Tournament and the Demon Tournament. Have fun!


	13. Chapter 13

Manga Maid's Notes: Ok! I posted this today, because it's a Friday and because it's chapter 13. This means it's unlucky for one of the characters. So… Yeah, you'll see who at the end! Also, I wanted to clear something up just in case anyone's wondering. Ok… I noticed that it may seem that I am ignoring the original storyline. This is not true. The four months I skimmed over in Chapter 3 were part of the months that Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei trained for the Dark Tournament, I'm sure Kurama did have other things to do beside train 24/7 since he does have a human life. Then the two months I skipped between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 were the Dark Tournament. I don't think it lasted more than a month or two at most. So, yeah… The Sensui Arc is coming up in a little while… a couple of chapters I should think… I'm working out my plotline to keep it in line with Yu Yu Hakusho. Then we have my favorite part, the Demon World Tournament. When Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama leave and go into Demon World, that's where Part 1 ends. When they come back 3 years later, that's where Part 2 starts. I'm so excited for that time skip and Part 2 because… Well, you'll see… ^-^ I have a lot of surprises for you guys in Part 2! Reviews would be very nice, thank you! Also, I'm suffering a little bit of depression because it's only a couple of months away from when my brother passed away a few years back and I'm having several personal internal conflicts with myself, so writing may take a little longer. Don't worry, though, I'll get over it and I WILL keep updating. I value you people too much to let my problems make me let you down. Thank yous go to: Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, and thank you to my to editors, demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori. Thank you all!

Also, winners of the contest: Well, there was only one: rainbowdragongirl101! You won and you get a cookie from me! Pick any cookie you want. Congrats. The reason she won is because her first guess was exactly on the right person which was Jin!!! Yes, Hikari likes Jin!! I couldn't believe how most of the people who guessed thought she like Youko. *shakes head* Sigh... Foxes and wolves may be friends in my story, but Kurama and Hikari do not like each other. Sorry folks. Anywho, on with the story!

* * *

Akira stared at man standing before her. She gulped again, frightened. She knew he was demon. After all, no normal person would have fox ears and a tail.

He smirked, eyes glinting like a naughty child being caught by someone who he knows can't punish him or won't. Akira gulped, and his smirk grew more pronounced.

"Well, well," he said, turning around to face Akira. He walked up to her. "It looks like you've caught me. Now what are you going to do?"

Akira stepped back. "S-S-Stay back!" she said, her voice shaking. "I-I-I d-d-don't want any tr-tr-tr-trouble." As he came closer, she walked backwards and tripped. She plopped down on her rear, sending a cloud of dirt in the air. She coughed, but scooted away from the demon.

He still advanced, his smirk growing. He kept walking until he had cornered her against a tree. His ears twitched as he heard her wild heartbeat. His eyes saw she was shaking and he noted her cut leg.

He came up to her and Akira looked up at him. Judging from what she had seen, he had to be at least 7 feet. She quavered and she couldn't stop the shaking, no matter how much she tried.

"Relax," he said, looking down at her. His reaction looked bored and slightly annoyed, but Akira could see something behind the golden orbs. She couldn't place her finger on it.

As he stared at her, she felt a little calmer, but her mind kept bringing up her recent encounters with most demons. Her body ignored the calm and brought back fear. She began shaking even worse.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. Then, he knelt so he was eye-level with her. He put his hand against her cheek, causing her to take in a sharp breath. He ignored it and began stroking it in a comforting motion with his thumb.

Instantly, Akira's body began to relax. Akira was surprised, but she felt comforted by the gesture. She saw the claws and was sure one could slit her throat at the demon's whim. But he wasn't making any moves to hurt her. She wondered why.

The demon's smirk returned as he saw her relaxing. "See?" he said, chuckling. "Nothing to be afraid of now, is there?"

"W-W-Who-?" Akira stopped and cleared her throat. She looked straight at him; sapphire meeting gold mixed with amber, and asked, "Who are you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?" he asked. He sounded a little confused, yet Akira could sense a hint of suspicion.

"Because…" Akira said, trying to think of a reason. "Because you aren't trying to kill me."

"So you'd rather I try to kill you?" he asked, raising his eyebrow again. He removed his hand and held it up to show his claws. But a playful smile was on his lips, showing her he was teasing.

"No… actually," Akira said. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't."

He laughed. It was a smooth, flowing sort of laugh. His voice was deep, Akira noted, but it sounded strangely familiar. She could've sworn she'd heard his voice before. But from where?

"Do I know you?" Akira asked, confused.

The demon turned away, not looking at her. "No." was his curt reply.

"Oh… I'm sorry. It's… just… odd. I feel as if I _should_ know you, but I don't at the same time," she said, more to herself than to the demon.

He turned to her and a sly smile said, "Perhaps I remind you of someone?" He was teasing.

"…Maybe," she said, mulling over. She decided to think about it later and asked, "So, will you tell me your name?"

"Why? You haven't told me your name," he said, reminding her about her proper manners.

"Oh, right. Akira Wagerman," she said. She smiled in what she hoped looked a friendly way. She then waited expectantly.

"Akira hmm?" he said, looking at her. He chuckled, "So, Akira. Why do you want to know who I am?"

"I told you before," Akira said, "You didn't try to eat me. What's so hard about believing that?"

The demon closed his eyes. Then, Akira heard a rumbling noise. She looked at him confused as he burst out laughing. He laughed for about a minute, and then said, "All right Akira. You amuse me, so I'll tell you my name. My name is Youko."

Akira blinked. "Youko?"

Inside Genkai's temple…

"Damn him!" Kumori seethed. "Damn Kurama to the deepest, darkest pits of fucking hell!"

"Kumori?" Hikari said, looking up with Yukina and Keiko from their game of Go-Fish. Kumori had declined playing the game and had silently watched the front door, as if hoping that Akira would appear through since Genkai and Yusuke had come back empty-handed. All three girls were surprised by Kumori's words.

Unnoticed to Kumori, Yusuke and Kuwabara looked from their videogame, surprised, and her words had gotten even Hiei's attention. They all looked at her. Everyone, except for Genkai and Hiei, was confused. Kumori ignored them, glaring at the door.

"Hey, cat girl!" Yusuke said, "What's got your tail in a twist?"

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him. I am so going to kill Kurama," she snarled to the door. "And after that, I will bring him back, kick his ass, and kill him again!" She hissed softly at the door.

Hiei closed his eyes and said, "Calm yourself. The fox knows what he is doing."

Kumori turned to Hiei, icy eyes ablaze. "I don't care!" she said, "Akira doesn't know Kurama in his Youko form! He's about 7 feet, for crying out loud! Don't you think that might give Akira a reason to run!?!"

Hiei scoffed. "I doubt the fox will let her get away."

Kumori scowled and looked at the door again. "In any case, if he frightens Akira, I shall kill him. Painfully."

Everyone stared. Then, Hikari asked, "Wait? What's going on?"

"Kurama's with Akira out on the steps…" Kumori grumbled.

"And that's a bad thing?" Yusuke asked. It sounded like he was scoffing.

"He's in Youko form…" Kumori growled. She closed her eyes and muttered, "I don't like this…"

"Relax!" Yusuke said, going back to the videogame. "Everything will be fine!"

"I don't know Urameshi…" Kuwabara said, uneasily.

"Oh great! She's got you worried too?" Yusuke said, annoyed.

Everyone looked at Kuwabara, except for Kumori. He rarely agreed with Kumori. He looked at the paused game and at his hands, and then said, "Look, none of us except for Kumori, Kurama, and Hikari know her that well. How do you know that she won't bolt off?"

"It's like Hiei said," Yusuke said, turning back to the game. "Kurama won't let her back into the woods. So there's nothing to worry about."

Hikari said, "Wait… You're not kidding when you say Kurama's out there as Youko?" Her eyes widened. "That's not good."

Yukina, Keiko, Yusuke, and Kuwabara turned to Hikari. She sighed, "Oh come on! Yusuke, Kuwabara, you both know Akira's experiences with demons she doesn't know! You expect her to take this like she's meeting someone?"

Understanding hit them. "Oh…" Kuwabara said.

"'Oh' is an understatement," Kumori muttered. "Idiot."

Kuwabara's temper instantly flared at being called an idiot. "Don't call me an idiot!!"

"But you are," Kumori said, still staring at the door. She ignored the angry rumbling that came from Kuwabara.

"You're lucky I don't hit girls, Kumori," he said, still upset as he went back to the video game.

"Uh huh. Sure I am," she said in a bored tone. "Like you could hit me, you big oaf."

Kuwabara harrumphed and then muttered, "Well, at least I'm taller than the runt."

Hikari noted Kumori turn to look at Kuwabara with a menacing glare and waited. But it appeared that she was still too angry at Kurama to want to attack Kuwabara for insulting her. She sighed and hoped that Akira would come into the temple soon.

Back outside…

"Youko…" Akira said, trying the name out again. "Hmm…" She closed her eyes, thinking about it.

Youko raised his eyebrows, watching her carefully. Then, he smirked as his ears picked up the conversation going on inside. Akira didn't seem to be afraid of him. He chuckled quietly.

Akira opened her eyes. "Are you a kitsune?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

He smiled. "Maybe…" he said, slyly. "Why do you ask?"

"I know a kitsune," she said. "I was wondering if he might know you…"

"Really? Who is he? Maybe I do know him," Youko said, looking at her with his piercing golden eyes.

"Um… I don't think he'd like it if I told you his name," Akira said, remembering Kurama's words about how people looked for him when they found out he was alive.

Youko looked at her, slightly annoyed. Then, his ears twitched. He said, "I must go. Until we meet again, Akira." He jumped up and into the forest where he disappeared.

"Wait!!" Akira called, a hand reaching to the forest. But it was too late. He was gone. She looked around her surroundings and realized that she was in the exact place where she had gone into the forest after Kumori.

"Akira!" a voice called out to her.

Akira looked up the mountain of steps to see Kurama walking quickly down to her. She was about to stand and walk to him, but he quickly reached her and knelt beside her. He looked her over.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I-I think so…" she said. She felt fine except for the fact that she was thoroughly confused. Then, she felt sick. "On second thought, maybe not…" she groaned.

Kurama gently brushed back her bangs and looked her in the eyes. "Your leg is cut and you're as white as a sheet," he said. "Did something happen?"

"Huh?" she said, looking at her still bleeding leg. "Oh… I cut that in the forest… I ran into a plant that tried to eat me…" She became quiet, still trying to process what had happened between her and Youko.

Kurama's eyes turned questioning. "Did something else happen?" He looked genuinely worried for her.

Akira took a deep breath. "I'm just really confused. I ran into a demon… and I'm so confused."

Kurama smiled gently and said, "Everyone's been worried. Let's get you inside and that leg treated. Then you can tell us all about it. All right?" Akira nodded and he helped her up.

When they walked in, Kumori was sitting in front of her. She instantly stood up. "Akira!" she said, looking at her best friend. "You're really pale. Are you ok?"

Hikari, who had been at the table with Yukina and Keiko, quickly ran over. "Akira!! You're alive!!" She stopped right in front of her and said, "Wow! Kumori's right. You are really pale. Is everything ok?"

"I'm…" Akira started. She noticed everyone had turned to her. "I'm fine. I just… am really confused."

"Akira ran into a demon," Kurama clarified.

Everyone's reactions were not what Akira expected. Kumori's face turned to one of anger, Hiei smirked right at Kurama, while Hikari rushed back to her game and hurried to get the game started. Genkai just quietly sipped her tea. Yusuke and Kuwabara, however, burst out laughing.

Akira's brow furrowed. "What's so funny?" she asked. "Is there something I should know?"

"No," Kurama said, quietly. As he spoke, Yusuke and Kuwabara suddenly shut up. Akira turned to look at Kurama, but he just smiled at her. "Let's get your leg cleaned up, ok?"

"O-Ok…" She frowned, though. They all knew something about it already. It bothered her.

Kurama set her on the couch, where Kumori joined her. Kumori glared after Kurama, which confused Akira. She asked, "Kumori, something wrong?"

"No," she snapped.

"Then why-?" Akira asked, but suddenly Yukina walked up to her.

"Hello," she said, shyly. "I am Yukina."

Akira smiled, "Hi Yukina, I'm Akira."

"How did you get that cut on your leg?" Yukina asked, suddenly looking at it.

"Oh… That? Um… Well… I ran into a plant that tried to eat me?" Akira said, sheepishly.

"Oh," Yukina said, suddenly worried. "Are you all right? Some plants in the forest are poisonous when they cut or bite something."

"I think so…" Akira said, "I mean… I don't feel poisoned or anything…"

Yukina was about to offer to heal her leg, but Kurama walked in with some green paste in a bowl. Yukina decided to sit with them, in case Kurama asked for her help.

Kurama rolled up Akira's pant leg and began to apply some of the green ointment on the cut. She hissed in pain as a burning hit her leg.

"What did you do fox?" Kumori snapped as Yukina looked nervously at Akira.

"It's an ointment, Kumori," he calmly explained. "It's heals the cut faster and kill any infection or remove any toxicant." He looked at Akira, "It does have a slight burning feel when applied."

Akira muttered, "No kidding."

Yukina began to chat with her and Kumori to keep Akira's mind off the pain as Kurama cleaned the cut. After he finished cleaning the cut, he applied a bandage and walked off to go put his things away while Akira had gotten to know Yukina a little better and made friends.

Yukina decided to go back to the game. Then, Akira turned to Kumori and said, "Oh! I had a question."

Kumori said, "Ask it."

"Well," Akira said, "There are two things. First, um… well… Mitsuko told me she wanted me to have her diary."

Kumori nodded. "All right. I'll get it from Koenma. Next thing?"

"Well, I met a demon outside right?" Akira said. She noticed that everyone seemed to be listening. She noticed Kurama, standing in a hall nearby where he gone to put his things away. Hiei was glancing at them from the windowsill he sat in. Even, Kuwabara and Yusuke had stopped their game yet again to look at them.

"Yes…" Kumori said. She was tense. "Kurama mentioned that. What's bothering you?"

"I was wondering if you knew who he was…" she said.

"Well," Kumori said. "I can't tell you if I know him without a description."

"He had silver hair, golden eyes, wore white, really tall… Oh! And he had fox ears and a tail," Akira said, remembering Youko.

Kumori sighed. "It sounds like you may have met a kitsune. I don't know many, so you should probably ask Ku..ra..ma…" Kumori went quiet as Kurama glared at her from behind Akira. Then she cleared her throat. "Or Hiei!" Hiei glared at her, but she ignored it, saying, "Both have been in the Demon Plane. I never went there, so…"

"I understand," Akira said, nodding.

"But why do you want to know about this demon?" Kumori asked.

"Well…" Akira bit her lip. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "He didn't try to eat me."

Suddenly, laughter filled the air. Akira could see Hiei looking quite amused and heard among the loud laughter of Kuwabara and Yusuke, Kurama's quiet laughter. She saw Hikari hitting her knee, while Keiko and Yukina giggled, and even Kumori was laughing.

Akira suddenly was a little offended. "Why are you all laughing at me?" she asked, indignant. "It's a legitimate reason."

"I'm… sorry…" Kumori chuckled. "I just couldn't help it."

Akira sighed and rolled her eyes. She then closed them and shook her head. She thought about it and chuckled. "I guess it does seem stupid…"

"Yeah, no kidding," Yusuke said, still laughing. "I mean, are you serious?" He laughed for a little bit until he suddenly noticed the glares he was getting from Akira, Kumori, and Hikari. "Sheesh," he said. Then he muttered, "Apparently you were…"

Kuwabara laughed, "What's a matter, Urameshi? Afraid of a bunch of girls?"

"Well, Kuwabaka," Kumori said, "If I was a guy, I would be too. Especially if the girls know where to hit a guy and you can't hit them back there because they don't have one."

Akira began to chuckle and everyone stared at her, until she burst out laughing. Kumori suddenly joined her. Finally both girls got control of themselves.

"I'm sorry…" Akira said, coughing to regain composure. "That wasn't nice. But, it reminded me of something…"

Everyone looked at her. "What did it remind you of, Akira?" Hikari asked.

"Well…" She looked at Kumori warily. "It reminded me of what Kumori did to a cousin of mine…"

"Which one?" Kumori asked, tilting her head.

"Conner…" Akira said, glancing at Kumori.

Kumori's face suddenly turned angry. "I shall kill the little bastard," she said, suddenly pounding a fist into her hand.

"No," Akira said. "That is my job. He is my perverted cousin, therefore, it is my job to deal with him. You are not allowed to deal him. You nearly killed him the last time."

"But, I am the subject of his perverseness, so I should be allowed to kill him!" Kumori argued.

"No," Akira said. "Aunt Abigail is _still_ afraid of you because you nearly killed her little boy."

"Um…" Hikari asked. "Who's Conner?"

"Conner is a sick, disturbed, perverted, son of a-!" Kumori started, but Akira cut her off.

"Conner's a cousin of mine. He and Kumori… well, they don't get along…" Akira said.

"Because he is a pervert!!!" Kumori snapped.

"How bad could be compared to Yusuke?" Keiko asked.

"Worse," Kumori said. "Much, much worse."

"How?" Hikari asked.

"Akira? Do you mind explaining?" Kumori asked.

Akira nodded. "Conner flips skirts, peeks in girl's locker rooms, peeks in their bedrooms while they're changing, and… oh yeah! He steals girls' underwear. Especially Kumori's."

"He WHAT?!?!?" Kumori thundered.

"Oh wait…" Akira said. "I forgot you didn't know that one…"

Kumori suddenly went quiet. Then, she stood up, but Akira grabbed the back of her shirt. Kumori began to run in place.

"Hey!" she said. "Let me go!"

Akira shook her head, smiling. Kumori glared at her in an attempt to get Akira to let her go, but Akira just rolled her eyes. When Kumori sighed and sat down on the floor, Akira released her.

Suddenly, Yusuke burst out laughing. "He… steals… Kumori's… underwear?!?!" He kept laughing.

"It's not funny, Urameshi!!!!" Kuwabara yelled. "Those are a woman's… erm… unmentionables… and they shouldn't be taken by any guy!!!"

"Oh come on!!!" Yusuke said, "You have to admit, it's kinda funny!!!" He went back to laughing.

Akira rolled her eyes and looked around the room. Kurama was looking amusedly at Hiei, who had his eyes slightly narrowed. Kumori and Genkai were glaring at Yusuke, while the three girls who had been playing cards were still in shock, though Keiko looked ready to sock Yusuke pretty hard for laughing about something like that.

Genkai suddenly kicked Yusuke in the back of the head, making him quit his laughing.

"OW!! GEEZ!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR GRANDMA?!?!" Yusuke yelled, rubbing the throbbing spot where he had been kicked.

"MORON!!!" she yelled, "THAT IS NOT SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT!!!!" She walked off, muttering under her breath, "Annoying little pest…"

Yusuke, not hearing the comment, muttered something about "stupid old grandmas" and then turned back to the game. He and Kuwabara un-paused the game and began playing it again. Kurama walked off to go sit by Hiei.

Hikari suddenly called, "Kumori!! Akira!! Come play Go-Fish with us!!!"

"Go-Fish is boring!" Kumori said, frowning. "Can't you play another game?"

Hikari thought about it, "War?"

"Next…" Kumori said.

"Hearts?" Hikari asked.

"That's a four player game," Kumori said. "We have five." She closed her eyes and said, "Next!"

"Crazy eights?"

"No…"

"Craps?"

"Nah…"

"Cribbage?"

Kumori made a displeased noise. She was looking at Hikari with annoyance. "Honestly, Hikari?"

"Well…" Hikari said, thinking. "How about Poker?"

"Poker…?" Kumori said, "Everyone plays Poker. Let's play something else."

"How about _strip_ poker?" Yusuke suggested.

Yukina looked wide-eyed, while Hikari, who had been drinking a glass of water while she waited for Kumori's answer choked on it, spitting out the water everywhere and coughing. Akira turned bright red, embarrassed by the very thought. Kumori froze and turned to glare at Yusuke. Then, Keiko got up, walked over to Yusuke, and whacked him in the head with one of her fists.

"Yusuke!" she snapped, "For once, can you keep your mind out of the gutter?"

"OW! Keiko!! Sheesh!! What is it with you people hitting me today?" he snapped, rubbing his abused head.

"Maybe if you weren't such a pervert…I shall call this day 'Annual Yusuke Hitting Day'…" Kumori muttered. "Anyways, do we have any other card games we can play?"

"Um…" Hikari thought about it. "Rich Man, Poor Man?"

"That works," Kumori said. She hopped down and walked over to the table sitting between Hikari and Keiko, gesturing for Akira to come over. Akira walked over and sat in between Yukina and Hikari.

Keiko took the cards and shuffled. Then she dealt.

After the first round…

"CRAP!!!" Kumori groaned as Akira went out as this meant she was the "Poor Man" or technically, "Poor Woman". "Damn it!! Frickin' hell!!!!"

"I'm sorry, Kumori…" Yukina said. Yukina had been the first one out, making her the "Rich Woman". Her face was apologetic.

"It's not your fault Yukina…" Kumori said, looking at the koorime's face. "It's just my stupid, crappy luck. It always seems to fail me when I need it the most." She saw Yukina's face still look apologetic. "Honestly, Yukina. It's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's my own…" She thought about it. "Or Akira's…"

Akira's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" she said, annoyed.

"I said nothing!" Kumori yelped. Then she continued, "I did nothing! I am nothing! YOU CANNOT PROVE IT!!!!" She then closed her eyes and looked peaceful, an innocent smile gracing her face.

Everyone stared. "Okay then…" Hikari said. "Well, now we switch seats!"

Kumori groaned as she sat on the hardest seat of the bunch and shuffled. Then she dealt and after she finished, she handed to Yukina her best card. Yukina handed her back a card and Yukina put out a starting set.

The game continued for a few rounds with the Rich Man and Poor Man switching out in each round since no one was cruel enough to make their own rules to keep themselves as the Rich Man.

As the tenth round came about, they had all gotten bored with the game, even Yukina. So they had switched back to Go-Fish, since they didn't want to spend much time trying to pick a new game.

"Akira?" Kumori asked. "Got any threes?"

Akira sighed and handed her three threes over to Kumori. Kumori grinned and set her set of threes down. As she did, Akira looked at the time. The clock face showed that it was 9:30.

Akira knew that Kohaku got home at 10:50 and she might worry if Akira wasn't home. Her eyes widened. "Uh-oh…"

"What's the matter?" Keiko asked, confused.

"It's 9:30," Akira said.

"Yeah," Kumori said, glancing at the clock. "Yeah, it is. So?"

"Kumori, Kohaku gets home at 10:50," Akira clarified. "Don't you think it might worry her a bit if I'm not home?"

"Why wouldn't you be home?" Hikari asked, staring at her with a furrowed brow.

"Hikari, the train ride takes two hours. I wouldn't be home until a good half-hour after my mother. And give her and Kohaku five minutes and they'll be in full panic mode and… well, Kumori's seen Mom in panic mode before…"

Kumori shivered, "I see your point. Hmm, well, if one of the guys is up to it… maybe we can get you home faster."

Akira looked at Kumori confused as Kumori stood up and gestured for Akira to do the same. Then, she led Akira into the other room. Yusuke and Kuwabara were still playing the videogame, Hiei was looking out the window, and Kurama was reading a book.

"Hey guys?" Kumori asked, causing all four of them to look up. "Well, Akira needed to get on the train home about an hour ago, but we weren't paying attention to the time, and well… we were wondering if one of you could take her home. You're all faster than the train, so…"

Hiei glared and went back to window. That was obviously a "no". Yusuke and Kuwabara stared at both of the girls, but neither one bothered to say anything. But, Kurama closed his book and stood up.

"I don't mind taking her home," Kurama offered, kindly.

"Thanks Kurama!!" Kumori said, breathing easier. She turned to Akira. "Hikari and I will be back to the house in an hour and we'll bring your things back. You think you can handle yourself until then?"

Akira nodded, "Yes, Kumori. I've been home alone before. I don't think it will kill me to be alone for an hour."

Kumori said, "Well then, see you in an hour." She walked back to the table.

"See you later, everyone," Akira said, waving.

Everyone said goodbye, then Kurama smiled and said, "Shall we go?" Akira nodded. She followed him outside, where he suddenly bent down, his back to her. "Climb on," he said.

Akira blinked, a little startled. "Why?"

"I will be running you home. It's a little easier if I am carrying you," he clarified. He chuckled, "Come on. I won't bite."

"Um… Ok…" Akira walked over and climb onto his back like a child climbs on when an adult is giving a piggy-back ride. She wished she had had time to change out of her uniform before they had gotten on the train. It would have made her much more comfortable.

Kurama stood up and his hands went underneath her legs, keeping her up. He smiled kindly at her and then he ran.

The speed of the wind whipping past them, Akira closed her eyes. She guessed this was the best set up, as she remembered her conversation with Kumori and Hikari that morning.

"_So," Akira said as all three girls walked to school. "Tell me some more about the Reikai Tantei."_

"_Where should we start?" Hikari asked._

"_Who is Hiei?"Akira asked. "I know very little about him…"_

"_Hiei probably likes it that way," Hikari chuckled._

_Kumori nodded. "But I guess we should tell you a few things. Just so you two can get along. First, NEVER compare Hiei to a human. He'll kill you."_

"_Why?" Akira asked, confused._

"_He hates them!" Hikari said, cheerfully._

"_Oh…ok…" Akira said, a little nervous._

"_Next thing, if Hiei appears out of nowhere, don't freak out. He's just really fast," Kumori said. _

"_Really?" Akira asked._

"_Yep!" Hikari said. "All of the Reikai Tantei are fast, but Hiei's the fastest."_

"_How fast are they?" Akira asked._

_Kumori snickered. "You'll just have to find out for yourself."_

Akira felt a little annoyed that Kumori had only given her a little warning, when she felt the sudden rush of wind stop. She opened her eyes and saw that they were at the house. She quickly climbed off, still a little embarrassed. She didn't notice the car parked in the driveway.

"Thank you, Kurama," Akira said, smiling.

"Not at all Akira," he smiled.

"Well, I'll see you?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I suppose you will."

She nodded and walked up to the doorway and turned back. Kurama was gone. Akira guessed he had to get back to Genkai's. She sighed.

Akira unlocked the door and walked in. The light was on. She stared around confused. It was 9:45. No one should be home yet. Kohaku still had another hour of work and her mom wouldn't be back until after eleven.

She walked around and her heart froze as she saw someone on the couch. Sakura, red-eyed, with a ton of bottles around her. She grew ice-cold.

"Heyyyy…" Sakura said, voice slurred, waving from the couch. Then, she squinted and said, "What'cha lookin' a' me like tha' fer uhhhh?"

"I wasn't looking at you Sakura!!" Akira said, nervous. "Honest. I wasn't!"

"So, ya think yah sis is too ugly ta look at? Iz t'at what'cha think?!" Sakura said, getting angry.

"No!" Akira said, looking at her sister, eyes wide. But, deep inside, she knew it was hopeless to reason with Sakura now. "Sakura, it's not-!"

"SHUT UP!!" Sakura screamed, her voice reaching a shrill, ear-splitting tone. She screamed, "Shut up, ya lil' bitch!! Shut up!!!!" She picked up a bottle in rage. She cracked it against the back of Akira's neck and Akira's world went black.

An hour later…

Kumori, Hikari, and Kurama walked up to the house. Kumori and Hikari were laughing about Yusuke's misfortune after Akira left. He had gotten into a fight with Genkai and kicked all the way out to the gardens out in the back.

"So, Kurama," Hikari said, looking at him. "You still have to watch over Akira?"

"Yes. Koenma still wants her under supervision until her powers get strong enough to help her fight off demons by herself," Kurama said.

"Oh. What do you think about that Kumori? Kumori?" Hikari said, looking at her friend who looked stunned and a little scared as she stared at a car in the driveway. Kumori's ears twitched.

"Do you hear that?" Kumori said, her voice dead quiet.

Hikari and Kurama listened. They heard a sound like someone kicking a sack or something similar. They, whoever it was, were muttering something. Then, a female voice yelled, "Now, I want'cha to clean up the mess! I'm goin' to bed!"

Kumori sniffed the air. "No…" her voice was hoarse. She darted into the house, looking frightened.

Hikari and Kurama smelled the air and realized what had frightened Kumori. Blood. There was a heavy scent of blood in the air as if someone had drenched the house in it. Hikari and Kurama quickly followed Kumori.

When they were inside, they were shocked. Bottles littered the hall. Some broken, some not. Some of the broken glass had blood on it.

"What happened?" Hikari asked, shocked. Kurama put his hand on her shoulder and pointed to a figure a little down the hall.

It was Kumori, kneeling next to a body. She was still, then her body began shaking with anger. They walked over and Hikari gasped, eyes bulging when she saw who it was. Kurama grew stiff, but his face was pale white.

It was Akira. And she was lying, deathly still, in a pool of her own blood.

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Ending comments: Review please. I really do need them right now because they put me in a cheerier mood. So if you would, I would be ever so grateful to receive them.


	14. Chapter 14

Manga Maid's Notes: Hi everyone. This has to be short. So, here we go. Basically, my laptop died and I am borrowing family members comps to write and read emails until mine is fixed. So I thank you all and I'm sorry I can't write a list right now, but as I said, I don't have my laptop. So I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Kumori checked for a pulse. It was there. Faintly beating. Also, she could hear Akira's quiet but shallow breaths. She nearly felt like crying out of joy. "She's alive…" Kumori said, trying to hold back her tears of relief.

Kurama said, "Hikari, get a towel and a rag." Hikari went to get a towel while he walked quickly over and lifted up Akira from her blood into his arms. He walked gently with her over to the couch in the living room. Kumori stayed kneeling in the blood. Hikari ran in with both of the items Kurama had asked for.

"Now what, Kurama?" she asked.

"Lay the towel down on the couch," he instructed. She did as he told her and laid it down on the couch. Kurama then placed Akira's unconscious body on it. He then took the rag and asked for a bowl of warm water. When Hikari brought it in, he set it down on the floor, knelt down next to the couch, and dipped it in the bowl and began wiping off smears of blood from her face. Hikari stared.

"Wh-What happened…?" Hikari asked. "A demon attack?"

Kumori shook her head. "No…" her voice was hoarse, holding back her sadness that was following her relief. "No… It wasn't a demon. Far from it."

"Then what-?" Hikari started, but Kurama put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him.  
"What is it Kurama?"

"Smell the air around you Hikari," he said, his voice deathly quiet.

She did as he told her. The smell of blood filled her nose. She grimaced, but then she realized there was another smell added to it. Alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. She covered her nose. "Ack! It burns!" she cried, "Whose been drinking that heavily? It reminds me a little of Chu, but who besides him would drink that _much?_"

Kumori was silent, looking at her best friend. Kurama looked at her. "I have a feeling," he said, "that you know who did this Kumori."

Kumori nodded. She was too shell-shocked to deny anything that was true. She just stared at the bleeding body of her best friend.

"Who did it, Kumori?" Hikari asked, suddenly angry. "Tell me and I'll-!"

"You won't dare touch her," Kumori interrupted. "Akira would never forgive you if you did."

Kurama and Hikari were stunned. "Kumori," Kurama said, "why would Akira protect anyone who did something like this to her?"

Kumori took a deep breath. "Because she's done this for a really long time… and because she loves her sister."

"What...?" Kurama asked, stunned.

Kumori would've thought this funny if it wasn't so serious. It took a lot to surprise the fox and she had never heard him so shocked since she had met him. She also wouldn't disclose what she was about to, but she knew that if she didn't Akira might not be breathing next time.

"Kurama," she started, "You remember Sakura? Akira's older sister? I think you've met her only once."

"Hmm…" He paused, closing his eyes. "I believe so. I only remember her from when the Wagermans came to America. She had blue eyes and black hair, correct?" When Kumori nodded, Kurama said, "Then, yes. I do remember her."

"Did you know she is an alcoholic?" Kumori asked, now looking at the pool of blood, her voice was quiet.

"No," Kurama said, gently wiping the scratches on Akira's face as not to agitated them and make them bleed more.

"I don't understand," Hikari said. She asked, "What does Sakura being an alcoholic have to do with anything?"

Kurama realized what Kumori meant. "Do you mean to tell me that Sakura did this to Akira? Her own flesh and blood?"

Hikari turned wide-eyed to Kurama, then Kumori, then back to Kurama. "What do you mean? Sakura loves her family! Sure, she has been gone a while, but I've never seen Sakura act mean to Akira or anyone! How come she would do this?"

Kumori took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the pool of red. "Hikari, all you saw was only what we wanted you to see. Akira's been dealing with this for four years and when I found out about this, she swore me to secrecy. Do you think that with both of us working to hide this, anyone would find out that easily?"

"No, but… Sakura may not be around often, but why-? I mean, she's not heartless." Hikari asked.

"No," Kumori agreed, still staring at the blood, tears starting to leak down her face. "No, she's not. But, alcohol brings out Sakura's darkest emotions. All the anger, the hate, and the blame she holds on to... It comes out with the alcohol. She doesn't even remember what she's done. And Akira refuses to tell anyone about it."

"Why?" Kurama asked.

Kumori looked at Kurama. "Kurama, you hide things from your mother to protect her happiness. Akira does the same thing. She knows that if her mother found out... Minori'd be heartbroken. Akira doesn't want to be a cause of pain." She turned to look back at the blood.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Hikari went to get it. "Hello?" she said.

"Hello?" Kohaku's voice asked.

"Hi, Kohaku," Hikari said.

"Oh. Hello, Hikari. Um, is Akira there?" she asked.

"Erm… Akira's busy… She's helping Kumori with some… laundry! Yeah, laundry," Hikari said. "But, I can give her a message if you would like."

"Ok. Mom needed me to come and help her, since they are closing late today. Remind Akira that, I'm sure she forgot and thought we'd be home by 11:00. Tell her we might be later than midnight, maybe 12:30. And tell not to worry about breakfast tomorrow. I believe that's all… Oh yes, Mom says she loves you all. So pass that on. Ok?" Kohaku said.

"Will do!" Hikari said. "Bye Kohaku."

"Goodbye, Hikari." Kohaku hung up.

Hikari hung up and said, "Kohaku called to tell us that she was going to help Minori at the studio and to remind Akira that they were closing late…"

Kumori nodded woodenly while Kurama, still tending to Akira's wounds, though now he had moved to her arms, thanked her. Hikari walked over to Kurama and knelt beside him.

"How… How could I be so stupid!!?" Hikari said angrily. She began to cry.

Suddenly, there was a sound of the glass door in the living room that led outside opening. Kurama turned to see Hiei, coming in. "Hiei," he said. "What brings you here?"

"I smelled the blood, Kurama," he said. Then, he saw Kumori kneeling in the blood pool. Her jeans and her body covered in it. His eyes widened a tiny bit.

Kurama said, "Don't worry Hiei. She's… fine. A little in shock, I think. But the blood is Akira's, not hers."

Hiei turned to Kurama and his eyes narrowed. "I knew that, fox," he snarled. He then stood there watching him. "What happened to the Demon's Heart onna?"

"She…" Kurama said, looking away. "Her sister… hurt her. Badly, as you can see."

"Why?" Hiei's tone meant he was not in the mood for lengthy answers.

Kurama kept silent and he went back to Akira's wounds, unable to answer. His eyes became overshadowed and he continued to work. Then he said, "I don't know Hiei…"

Hiei watched his friend continue to clean up the blood. Then, he said, "I'll keep guard outside." He vanished.

Kurama thank Hiei and continued to clean up Akira's wounds. Hikari kept crying while Kumori was still in the blood. No one spoke.

It was all quiet for about a half-hour when Akira slightly stirred. "Wha-what's going on?" she said, sleepily.

Everyone turned to look at her. She had her eyes just halfway open. She looked groggy and awful. Kumori instantly walked over. "Akira?" Kurama asked. "Are you all right?'

"Kurama? You're here? Where am I?" she asked. Her voice sounded dazed and dizzy.

"Akira," Kumori said, "You're in the living room. Are you ok?"

"Kumori? You're here too?" she suddenly groaned. "No… I feel like I got rammed by a bus then had 10,000 pounds dropped on me. What happened?"

"We'll tell you in the morning," Kumori said. "You need to rest."

"But-…" Akira started, but she was cut off by Kurama.

"Kumori's right. You need your rest Akira. I promise you, we will tell you in the morning, but first you must rest," Kurama said.

It seemed that Akira was too tired to argue. She just nodded a little and then closed her eyes. Her breathing became slow as she fell asleep.

Hikari stared at her. "Does she even know what happened?" she asked in shock, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"Probably, not…" Kumori said. She looked at her friend as Kurama cleaned up some more wounds. "She was probably knocked out before she took any real beating if she doesn't know what happened. That's good." Two pairs of green eyes stared at Kumori, questioning her sanity, before she explained. "It means she didn't feel much if any pain. It's more merciful if she's wasn't conscious, you know."

Kurama nodded and finished wiping down Akira's front. Then he gently rolled her over. Instantly, he wished he had worked on her back side first..

Embedded in Akira's back were many broken glass shards. Hikari cringed as she saw the ugly colored pieces glistening red with Akira's blood sticking up jaggedly her back, like tiny shredded pieces of butterfly wings growing from her back. Kumori stared at them coldly.

"What did Sakura _do _to her?" Hikari asked, shock and horror filling her voice.

"One can only guess…" Kurama said, staring at the shards. His hand then went to one of the biggest pieces of glass, gripped it tightly, and pulled. The shard came out quickly. Kurama continued to do this, until he was positive that every piece was out. Then he gently lifted her shirt up.

Kumori instantly whacked him. "Fox! What do you think you are doing?!" she said, upset.

"Kumori, I am checking for any bruises or broken bones along her back I should be careful of. I'll let you and Hikari heal the front, if you wish, but I suggest that I heal her back and extremities," Kurama said, calmly. But his eyes showed how badly he wanted to help her.

Kumori sighed, "Fine, fox… But this is only because I can see how bad you want to help her. If you had any other motives, I wouldn't let you even touch her."

Kurama nodded and gently lifted up her shirt. There were a few purplish bruises on her back, but barely any since most of her back was pierced by the glass. He gently pulled the rag out of the warm water and noticed it was cold and becoming red.

He stood up and poured the cool water down the drain and refilled it with warm water. He came back and gently wiped at her body. After he finished, he then took a seed from his hair, grew it out, and plucked a few leaves. Then, after returning the seed to normal, he crushed the leaves and put them in the water.

They hit the water and it began to congeal into a thick ugly yellow-green paste. He scooped out copious amounts from the bowl and applied it to her back. He smeared it out on her wounds.

"What is that Kurama?" Hikari asked, looking at the paste. She crinkled her nose "It doesn't look or smell that great…"

"It's a plant from Demon World," Kurama said. "It makes a special paste that is used for numerous wounds. It won't heal quickly, but it will help numb the pain and it will make sure there are no scars."

Both Hikari and Kumori nodded. Kumori then turned to look at the clock. It read 11:45. "Shitake mushrooms…" Kumori said, looking at the clock. She stood and said, "Kurama, you need to take Akira upstairs into her room and continue to heal her. Hikari, get the cleaning bleach and some rags. I'll get a broom and a mop."

"Why Kumori?" Hikari asked, confused.

"Look at the clock," Kumori said, frowning and pointing at the clock. She then said, "Akira's family comes home in at least 15 minutes."

"Oh… Ok!" Hikari said. "I'll go get the bleach and mop!"

Kurama nodded in agreement. "I'll take her upstairs." He gently rolled Akira on her back. Then, he put his hands under the towel and picked up Akira. He shifted her into a more comfortable position to carry her and then walked upstairs with her.

Kumori went to the closet where the Wagermans kept their broom, vacuum, mop, and most of their other cleaning supplies. She grabbed a broom and a mop. Then, with the broom, she began sweeping the hall clear of broken bottles and swept the bottles into a pile.

After she finished that, she saw Hikari walk in with the bleach and rags. She quickly got a bucket of water and put a small amount of bleach in. She then handed Hikari the mop.

Hikari nodded, understanding what to do. She put the mop in and began mopping up the pool of blood while Kumori wiped up any blood that had splattered on the walls. When they had finished, they cleaned up by putting the bottles in a garbage bag and throwing it outside near the other trash and cleaning up their other supplies.

A knock on the door sounded. Kumori went to go get it. She opened to see Minori and Kohaku. The triplets were in their sister's arms while the twins were in their mother's. Akane was standing next to them, eyes drooping.

"Hello Kumori," Minori mouthed. She walked in and mouthed, "Let me put these little ones to bed. I'll come back for Akane, then we can talk."

Minori and Kohaku walked upstairs, but Akane stayed. She then opened her eyes wide. "Where's Kira-nee?"

Kumori's eyes widened. Hikari spoke, her voice hoarse. "She's in bed, Aka-chan. She was really tired."

"No…" Akane said, her voice as low as a whisper. "Kira-nee always waits up so she can put me to bed. Kura-nee hurt her again didn't she?" When Kumori and Hikari's eyes widened, she said, "I know. You and Kira-nee don't want us to know. But I know. So is Kira-nee ok?"

Kumori looked away. "Not right now, Akane. We'll explain later, but you need to go to bed now."

"Is it bad?" she asked, her five-year-old voice worried.

"Yeah…" Kumori said. "Though, she is alive."

Akane swallowed. Her face growing pale. "I shoulda told Momma. Momma could fix this, right? Momma… she… she could make this stop."

"Akira doesn't want your mom to know Akane," Hikari said. "I didn't even find out until tonight. I don't think she wants anyone to know."

"Why?" Akane asked, her five year old face filled with questions that she should have never had to ask. "Why is Akira lying? Why doesn't she want anyone to know?"

"Akane…" Kumori said. "That's something we want ask Akira ourselves. But we have to when she's better, not now. The only one who can answer is her, no matter how much we want to know now, we can't ask her until she's ready to say anything."

Akane's face grew sad, but she nodded. She looked up, her face determined. "Kumori, Hikari, you can't say anything to Kira-nee about me knowing! Ok?"

Kumori nodded, but Hikari frowned. "Why don't you want Akira to know that you know?" she asked.

"Cause… It'd make Kira-nee sad…" Akane said, simply. "And I don't want her to be sad."

Kumori smiled and she rumpled the younger girl's hair. "Ok," she said. "We won't tell Akira. Now, I think your mom is coming to get you."

Akane nodded and soon, Minori came downstairs and took her 5-year-old daughter to bed. Then, she came down.

"Where's Akira?" she asked, looking for her third eldest.

"She went to bed," Kumori smoothly lied. "She was very tired after the homework we were given. I wouldn't bother her…"

Minori's smiled. She chuckled, "That's Akira. Once she's out, she's out. Well, Kohaku went to bed and I think we should do the same."

Kumori nodded and she darted up the stairs quickly. But, instead of going to her room, she went into Akira's room. She swiftly opened the door not making a sound and quickly closed it. She climbed swiftly up Akira's wall onto the ceiling and watched Kurama healing Akira.

Kurama hadn't even noticed Kumori walk in. He was too busy tending to Akira's badly beaten legs. He gently moved the paste on her legs and after he finished, he started bandaging them.

He then looked at what he had bandaged. Akira's body looked so frail, like a doll. Her face was the only thing that had miraculously been undamaged. Her eyes were closed and her face was peacefully unaware of what had happened.

Kurama gently stood up and went to the window, looking back at her with sadness. Why hadn't she told anyone? He didn't understand. Then, he shook his head. As he did, Akira stirred, ever so slightly.

"Ku… Kurama?" she asked, sleepily. She tried to sit up.

"I am here," he replied. He walked over pushing her gently back down onto her bed. "Rest. I doubt Kumori and Hikari would forgive me if I let you get up at this moment."

"Why?" she asked.

"I'll tell you in the morning."

"It _is_ morning," she shot back, looking at the clock. She looked a little annoyed. "You _will_ tell me now."

Kumori laughed silently. Akira could be demanding if she wanted something bad enough. She must have wanted to know what was going on now.

Kurama turned away, looking out onto the balcony. He was silent as stone looking straight ahead. He wore a frown on his face.

Akira tried to get off the bed, but as she was about to, she noticed her feet. She stared at the bandages and then saw the bandages on her arms. Suddenly, her last memory before she blacked out came into her mind.

"Oh…" she said, looking down. Suddenly, tears welled in her eyes. She hastily wiped at them. "You're mad at me aren't you?"

Kurama turned to her. "What? Why would I be mad?"

"I lied to you…" she said, tears falling. "I lied to you about… this…" She gestured at her bandaged body.

He sighed and walked over. "Kumori explained what is going on. I'm not angry. I'm just sad and hurt. If you want your friends to tell you the truth Akira, shouldn't you be honest with us? And shouldn't your family know what going on?"

Akira looked at her hands. "But… the truth… is hard to talk about. And I don't want to hurt my family at all." Tears flowed. "Sakura's my sister, Kurama! How can I tell her something that will hurt her? How can I do that to her?" She began to sob quietly into her hands.

Kurama gently enveloped her in a hug, letting her salt tears soak his shirt. "I don't know…" he admitted quietly. "That's something I'm having trouble with myself, I'm afraid." He soothingly rubbed her back as she cried into his chest. "It'll be all right," he said. He continued to comfort her as she cried.

Kumori smiled sadly and walked back to her room. She went out the window and sat on the roof, biting her lip. She felt her heart ache for her torn friend. Tears unwillingly fell.

Kumori quickly dried her tears and then noticed someone else on the roof. She gently hugged her knees, but said to the figure, "Hey Hiei."

Hiei stared at her, fire meeting ice. He then turned away, scanning for any danger. It was silent, but then he said, unwillingly, "Are… you all right… onna?"

"I'm fine…" she said. She looked at him, "Thank you for asking, Hiei. I'm just a little sad."

"Hn. Why?" he asked.

"Because… Akira is having a hard time right now. And it hurts me to see her in such pain," Kumori said.

Hiei scoffed.

"I know!" Kumori said. "That's weakness! I know… But I can't help it… Must be the human in me."

"Hn."

Both were then quiet. Kumori sighed, looking out into the yard. She closed her eyes and focused on Hiei just being there. It helped ease the pain in her heart.

Finally, she yawned. She opened her eyes and said, "I guess I should get to bed. Hiei?"

"What?" he said, his voice annoyed.

"Thank you. You seem to be here when I need someone to talk to… But, you don't have to… I just wanted you to know… I really appreciate it…" she said.

"Hn." Hiei sounded annoyed, and he darted off.

Kumori shook her head and went into her room. She heard Akira's soft sobbing. It was muffled, but still there. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

But, it seemed that sleep would avoid her tonight and the sobs tore at her. She sat up and hugged her knees until she finally felt sleep come, laid down under her covers and dozed off, dreaming about happier times.

In Akira's room…

Akira's sobs finally stopped, but she wasn't asleep. She still shook with sobs for a little bit, but finally she was still.

Kurama looked down at her. He rubbed her back and asked, "Are you feeling a little better?"

"Yes…" Her voice was raw and hoarse from all her crying. She looked up at him and he saw her eyes were red.

He squeezed his arms around her in a comforting hug. She leaned into him, letting his strength hold her up for a little while longer. Then thunder rumbled and rain fell from nowhere. Kurama turned to look at it.

Akira scooted out of the embrace to see the rain. She sighed and looked down at her feet. Then, she said, "He must be trying to make me feel better…"

"Who?" Kurama asked, looking from the outdoors to her.

"My father. He loved rain. He told me once that everything depends on rain to live and… right before he died, he promised me that whenever I felt sad or alone or just needed to be reminded that he was watching over me, he would send the rain."

Kurama smiled. He spoke, "That's a better relationship than I had with either of my fathers. I never knew my demon father since he left my mother before I was born and my human father died before I really got to know him."

Akira looked at him. "I'm sorry. That must've been painful."

He laughed slightly, but his voice was hard. "Sort of. My demon mother held a grudge against him and never really cared for me, since I looked so much like my father. From what I understand, I was the result of a one night stand and he left her once she told him about me. As for my human father, I didn't care at the time, so…" He drifted off, his face serious.

Akira reached to touch his shoulder. "I'm sorry. That really must have been painful. I guess you were lucky that you got Shiori for your human mother."

He turned and smiled at her. "Yes. I prefer to think of her as my real mother."

Akira smiled back. Then, she yawned. "Oh… gosh… What time is it?" She looked to see that it had been a couple of hours since she had woken up. "Oh crap… We've got school tomorrow…" She frowned.

Kurama patted her head. "Don't worry; I'll make sure you all get up on time. All right?"  
She nodded. "Ok." She smiled again. Then, she got off the bed to pull back the covers. But her beaten legs gave way and she began to fall.

Kurama caught her and chuckled. "Let me help you. We don't want you injuring yourself anymore do we?"

Akira glowered at him, but she was blushing in embarrassment. She looked away, "Kurama, I've been dealing with this for a while. I'm fine! I promise!"

"Are you really?" he asked, chuckling slightly. "Let's test that, shall we?" He let go of her.

Her legs buckled without the support. She instantly fell and would have toppled over like a pile of too high blocks if Kurama hadn't caught her before she hit her head on her floor. She looked at him and scowled. "Kurama! Give me some warning before you do that!"

He chuckled. Then he picked her up in his arms, catching her off guard. He rumbled with silent laughter as she scrambled to grab his neck.

"Kurama!!!" she said angrily. She slapped his chest as he pulled back the covers. "You… you…" She didn't finish her sentence as he tucked her in. She blushed as he bent over her and mussed her hair.

"I what?" he asked, smiling at her.

She turned away, letting her bangs cover her blush. "Nothing…"

He chuckled. Then he said, seriously, "Akira… I want you to promise me something, if you can."

She looked at him, confused. "What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "I want you to tell your mother what going on between you and Sakura."

Akira stiffened. "Kurama… I… I don't… I don't know if I can…"

He clarified, "You don't have to today or tomorrow. I just want you to tell her before it becomes too late."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Look at me and my mother. I've held a deception that's lasted for almost 16 years. If I told her now, how would she be able to trust me, knowing what I am and what I've done behind her back? I just want you to tell your mother. At least, before it grows too late and you can't fix all the damage that's been done to your relationship," he said, looking away from her. He looked sad.

Akira nodded understandingly. "Ok…" she said. "I will… try. But, I can't promise you that I'll do it soon. It's not going to be easy."

He nodded. "I never said it would be. But, trust me; it'll be worth it not to have any secrets separating you from your family." When Akira nodded, he turned to the balcony, walking out to guard her. The rain was still falling.

"Kurama?" Akira asked. "If I do this, can I ask you to do something?"

"Such as?" he asked, his back to her.

"If I tell my mother… I want you to tell your mother… She has a right to know… Besides, I don't think Shiori would lose all trust in you just because you lied to her. You did it to protect her. I think she'll forgive you," she said, looking at his back. "At least, I think she should."

Kurama sighed. "Akira… It may not be that simple. This deceit has been going on for _16 years._ It won't be as simple as you think."

"And you think mine will be as simple as you think?" she asked, looking at him. "Cause I can assure you, it won't be."

He sighed again. "You should go to sleep Akira."

"I don't think I can…" she said, nervous.

"Would you like some help?" Kurama asked her.

"Help?"

"An organic narcotic, if you will," he said. "I have some plants whose pollen that acts like a sedative and will help you go to sleep. Would you like to try it?"

She shrugged, "Sure, why not? I'm always open to try new things."

Kurama smiled and suddenly vines shot up from nowhere, growing around Akira's bed frame. Small midnight blue flowers bloomed all around. Instantly, she felt drowsy.

"Wow…" she said, dizzily. "This stuff… it works… fast…"

Kurama nodded. He smiled kindly at her.

She sighed as her eyes closed and said, "Night… Kurama…" Then, she was out like a light.

He spoke softly. "Good night Akira. Have sweet dreams…"

Akira was in the same misty fog as earlier when she had talked with Mitsuko. The only differences were she was younger, about 13, and she was running towards someone.

As she got closer, she saw it was her father and her pace picked up. She bolted, crying out, "Daddy! You're back!!"

He smiled at her, arms open. He looked peaceful as he smiled at his daughter as she came closer. Then, he vanished.

She looked around, confused. "Daddy? Wha-? Where'd you go?"

"Akira," a voice called.

She turned back to see Kurama, standing in her father's place. He held his arms open for her, smiling his kind smile. She smiled and realized she was older as she cried, "Kurama!" She bolted for his open arms.

He smiled at her, chuckling slightly as she hurried along, going as fast as she could. Then, he vanished as well.

Akira stopped, then decided to keep running. Maybe her father or her friend would appear again if she got closer. She bolted toward the spot, closing her eyes and making her legs burn as she went as fast as she could.

She hit someone's warm body and felt arms wrap around her. She looked up to see neither her father nor Kurama holding her, but _Youko_. She blinked confused, but decided that she liked the warmth around her arms.

He then bent down and kissed her cheek. Her eyes widened and stared up at him. He chuckled, grinning at her.

"Youko? What is going on?" she asked, but he just smiled at her

An alarm went off and Akira woke up, seeing the sun rise. She blinked, disoriented.

"What was that dream about?" she asked herself. She shrugged it off and, remembering she had school, got up to get ready for her day.

* * *

Ending Comments: Please review! I have half of Chappie 15 done, but I won't post until I finish it and get reviews!


	15. Chapter 15

Manga Maid's Notes: Hi! My comp's still busted, but it is being fixed!! Also, THIS CHAPTER IS THE END OF PART 1!!! I shall be posted 3 mini stories next, then Part 2!! YAY!!! Also, I have my list!!! So thank yous to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, and my two awesome editors demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori!!! Thank you all!!! I give you all hugs!!! I admit, when I started this story last year, I wasn't expecting it to become so popular!!! ^///^ THANK YOU!!!!!

Oh yeah!! I am doing something extra special today! I am giving a couple of Yu Yu Hakusho story recommendations from my favorites! Ok, here we go!!

1. **The Blue Rose Rare **by _Torin Jingles. _**Category: **Yu Yu Hakusho: I love this story. It's a KuramaXOC and it has a really great plot going for it and there's stuff you don't expect! It keeps you on your toes and I just love how the story keeps pretty much in line with the characters!! I suggest that if you like Heart's Fate, you should read The Blue Rose Rare!!

2.** Superman** by _HereAfter_. **Category: **Yu Yu Hakusho. This a HieiXOC fanfic and I don't usually read those, but this one caught my eye. It grew on me as soon as I read it and I really like it! It completed now and it takes you into an awesome story! I suggest that if you haven't read it, you should!!

Ok. I'm done now, but if you'd like to look at the other stories I have favorited, look at my profile!! And so, on with the story!!!!

* * *

Days passed and Akira still didn't tell her mother about the abuse. Days turned into weeks and weeks soon became months. Akira received Mitsuko's diary, Hikari went back to living with her family, and Kumori, Akira, and Hikari watched their friends left for a while to go help save the world from a person named Shinobu Sensui. They came back and all was peaceful for about a couple of months, until…

"WHAT!?!" Kumori thundered, "You're leaving?!? For Demon World?!? Kurama!!! Have you lost your fucking mind!?!" Hikari stared meaningfully at Kurama, looking like she wanted an answer.

Kurama sighed and said, "Kumori, it's just me and Kokoda at home. And you know that it's not really Kokoda. Yomi wants me to join him and I have to otherwise Kokoda will get hurt."

"Fine! I know this is for your family and all, but why are you only telling us?" Kumori asked, suddenly suspicious. "Shouldn't you tell Akira?"

Kurama looked down. "I… can't."

"And why not?" Kumori asked, expectantly.

"Because I have a feeling she didn't want any of us to go," Kurama said. "And I think she might try to stop me."

"Kurama," Hikari said, "I think you should tell her. Akira was really hurt that Yusuke and Hiei didn't tell us they were leaving. How do you think she'll feel when she finds out that you left without saying goodbye?"

Kurama looked down, and Kumori took it as meaning to speak up, "Yeah. Plus, you don't even know what she'll say. She might just hit you a little bit or she just might yell, 'Kurama, I-!"

"-want you to promise you'll come back safe and sound." A voice said.

Everyone turned to the doorway to see Akira standing in the doorway. She was standing in the doorway. She looked sad, but her eyes were determined.

"Akira!!" Kumori said, caught off guard. "You're back!! Where were you?"

"I was visiting Keiko. She wanted some company other than Kuwabara, Yukina, Genkai, or Botan," Akira said, her eyes still focused on Kurama. Hurt was in them.

Kurama felt bad as Akira looked at him. He had become one of Akira's greatest supports since he had found out about the abuse. He supposed he was male equivalent to Kumori and Hikari. They were Akira's best girl friends, while he was her best guy friend.

Kumori and Hikari watched, until Kumori said, "Hey Hikari! I'm a little hungry. How about you?" Hikari nodded and the two girls quickly left the living room for the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Kurama…" Akira asked, "Do you really have to go? I mean, really?"

He nodded. "Yomi has threatened Mother and Hatanaka if I don't. Plus, he has a demon parasite, Kara, holding Kokoda hostage. If I don't go and worse comes to worse…" He trailed off.

Akira closed her eyes. Pain was evident on her face as she thought about this. She then took a deep breath and said, "Then… you need to go."

"What?" he asked confused.

"You need to go…" she said, her voice a little sad. "Your family is in danger. If you have to go… Then go. I won't stop you. I doubt Kumori or Hikari will either. In fact, I think Kumori would want you to, so if you ever see Yusuke or Hiei again, you could give him a good kick in the pants for leaving without saying goodbye…" She then hugged him around the middle. "Just please, _please_ come back safe. It would break Shiori's heart if you disappeared suddenly without a trace." '_And mine_,' she added in her head.

He hugged her back. "Don't worry. Yomi just wants me on his side, in case a fight between the Three Kings breaks out. But, I doubt something like that will happen," he lied. "It's just a precaution. No need for worry."

Akira nodded, but her heart sank. She knew she _would_ worry about him, Yusuke, and Hiei. They were all part of her and she could only hope she was a part of them. She then pulled out of the embrace and smiled. "All right then." She walked into the kitchen where Kumori and Hikari were, Kurama following her. She said, "Thank you for at least coming to tell us Kurama. When will you be leaving? And how long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "How long I'll be there. I can't really say. It may be only a few months, or a couple of years. Yusuke believes it will probably be three years at maximum. I agree. As for when I'm leaving…Sometime this week. Yomi wants me to come as soon as I can, since Hiei is with Mukuro and Yusuke is with Raizen."

"And what are the nations they rule again?" Kumori asked, not looking up from the carton of sweet snow she had pulled from the fridge and was eating at the table.

"Raizen rules Tourin, Yomi rules Gendar, and Mukuro rules Alaric," Kurama said. He looked at Kumori, "Why do you ask?"

"Alaric…" Kumori mumbled, sounding distant. "…Sounds familiar…"

Hikari asked, "How so?" Then a knock sounded on the door.

Akira walked from the kitchen and opened it to show Hikari's cousin, Kairiu. "Kairiu-san! Come in! Are you here to come get Hikari?"

Hikari poked her head out into the hall. "Kai-chan? What's going on? What are you doing here? Is everything ok?"

Kairiu was looking excited. "Yes! You need to come home! You received a letter!"

"Letter?" Hikari asked, confused.

"From Komichi," he said, shaking with excitement.

"Komichi?!" Hikari said, bolting to her cousin. "I gotta go! Sorry guys, but this is important!!" She darted out of the house with her older cousin.

"Komichi?" Akira asked. "Who's Komichi?"

"Don't know," Kumori said, still looking at her tub of sweet snow. She sighed and put a spoonful in her mouth.

"Kurama?" Akira asked, "Do you know about any Komichis?"

"I'm afraid not…" he said. He then looked at the time. "I'm sorry, I must go get ready. Also, I have to make sure Kara doesn't try anything funny while he's possessing Kokoda. I'll see you around, I suppose."

"Ok…" Akira said, nodding. "I'll see you later…"

Kumori said, "Have fun and don't get killed, Kurama."

Kurama chuckled and nodded. Then he walked to the door and put on his jacket. "Oh, Akira?"

"Hmm?" she asked.

"Don't forget to tell your mother," he said.

She grew annoyed, since he had been pressing the matter, and snapped, "You know I will! Quit pushing it!!"

He nodded, slightly amused. Then, he was gone.

Akira sighed. She wished he didn't have to go. Recently, it felt like everyone had to leave all of the sudden. She felt sad.

Kumori coughed. Akira turned and Kumori gestured to the table. "Sit down, Akira."

Akira sat down, but she looked distant. Her eyes seemed glassy. She wasn't even facing Kumori, but the wall.

Kumori chuckled.

This knocked Akira out of her reverie. She looked at Kumori. "What's so funny?"

Kumori smiled at Akira. "You are here, but you're not at the same time. I think it's funny. So… what's on your mind?"

Akira looked down, her face covered with a pale blush. "Nothing…" Her voice sounded sad.

"Missing him already?" Kumori asked.

"Huh?" Akira asked, looked up as her face blossomed into a bright red.

"Oh, come on, Akira. You've already told me you like Kurama!" Kumori said. She shook her head, "Honestly, girl… Sometimes…" She stopped, and then said, "So, am I right? Did the fox take your heart with him when he left just now?"

Akira smiled sadly. "You can always read me so well, huh Kumori?" She sighed. "Yeah… He did. He told me not to worry and I know I shouldn't but… it's hard. I mean, what if he gets hurt? What if he's killed? What if Yomi is leading him to a trap? What if-?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kumori said, holding her hands up. She put a hand on the top of Akira's head and said, "Calm…" After Akira calmed down, she said, "Akira, you need to stop worrying so much. Kurama will be fine. He's been in worse situations. Remember, he used to live there, you know."

"I know…" Akira said. "But-!"

"Ah, ah, ah! I'm not done!" Kumori said. "Secondly, Kurama knows when something is a trap. If this is a trap, Kurama won't walk into it blindly. Thirdly, he may get wounded, but do you really think he'll let himself get killed?"

"No…" Akira sighed, defeated. "But I can't help it. I… I really do care for him, Kumori. I can't help but worry."

"I understand…" Kumori said, smiling at her friend. Then she looked back at the tub of sweet snow in her hands. "Alaric… hmm. I wonder why it's so familiar."

"What?!" Akira said, now worried. "You're not leaving me too, are you?"

"Nah…" Kumori said. "As much as I'd like to kick Hiei's ass for leaving without any goodbyes… I doubt they'd welcome me."

Akira sighed and said, "Phew. Don't scare me like that!"

Kumori laughed. Then she said, "I wonder what Hikari's doing right now."

At the Haruhi residence…

Hikari stared at the letter in her hands. It was in Komichi's handwriting. She felt the eyes of Uncle Zassou, Aunt Kusabana, and Kairiu watching her. She was stunned though, by the contents.

_Hey Hikari-chan,_

_How are things? I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to smash me into a wall if you saw me because of what I did, but I had to go. _

_Hey guess what? I found Mom and Dad. I'm not kidding. I really did! But that's all I can say at the moment, since I don't want you to go looking for me right now. But I do have an important message for you, sis._

_Get out as soon as you can. __NOW__. Get out of that house as soon as you can. Get kicked out, run away, do SOMETHING! I don't care how, but you need to get away from Uncle Zassou. He's not what he seems Hikari and you need to leave the house and stay away from him._

_Please forgive me for such a short letter, but it's all I can do. Remember Mom and Dad and I love you. Hope to see you as soon as I can._

_Lots of love and hugs,_

_Komichi_

Hikari froze. Leave? How was she was supposed to get kicked out again? Insult him? That wouldn't work.

She frowned. Uncle Zassou was very hard to get angry unless you did something that made people question the family's pride. She frowned. How could she do that? Well, she'd have to do something that would get people talking. Or at least the school.

She grinned and whispered, "Seems a prank is in order. Sounds fun."

Zassou cleared his throat. "Did I hear you say a prank, Hikari? You know that pranks are nothing but childish."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what you think," Hikari said, not looking at him. "Now what I need is…"

Zassou yelled, "Hikari, you selfish child! You only think of yourself!! You never think of the family!"

Kusabana gasped, "Zassou!"

"It's true!!" Zassou yelled at his wife. "She mouths off, runs around with those two girls, Kumori and Akira, and sometimes doesn't return home for hours. She doesn't care what people say about our family!!" He turned to Hikari, "You never respect our rules and shirk your responsibilities to this family!! You're the reason Komichi ran away from a respectable life!!"

Hikari felt her heart become hurt and angry. She growled and said, "How would you know?! You don't even _know_ this family!! You gave up on Kairiu, your own son! Then you tried to force Komichi to your will and forced him to run away!! Now, you blame me for your past mistakes!! I did nothing!!"

"SILENCE!!" Zassou yelled. "I will not tolerate this in my house!! How dare you!! I gave you and your brother home and shelter after my no-good brother and his wife dumped you both on my doorstep! You have no right to speak to me that way!!"

"I'll speak to you however I want!!!" Hikari yelled back. "You are not my father, nor were you Komichi's. You can't control me no matter how much you want to!! I won't let you try to play my father!!!"

All was silent as Zassou changed from red to purple. Then after he turned white, he said, "Get out."

"What?" Hikari asked.

"Pack your things. Every last little thing. Take them and get out of my house," he said, his voice hard.

"Zassou!!" Kusabana said, shocked.

"I will not tolerate disobedience under my roof," he said. He then spoke to Hikari again, "I never want to see your face in this house again until you are ready to obey every rule without question."

"Fine!" Hikari snapped. She stomped upstairs, into her room, and grabbed her suitcase. She began taking clothes and stuffing them into her suitcase. She quickly packed her things when she heard her aunt.

"Zassou, you know that this isn't right. She's just a teenager. You know they act like that," Kusabana said pleadingly.

"Kusabana…" Zassou said. "We took her and her brother in. And for what? A runaway nephew and a niece who thinks she can disobey and disregard any rules set up? Komichi isn't here. He cannot talk any sense into her. Therefore, a few nights out in the cold and wet should do the job."

Hikari smiled darkly. _'That's what you think_' she thought. She finished packing everything and looked around. When she saw the room was bare, she nodded once, and walked down the stairs.

"I'm ready to go," she announced.

"Hikari…" Kusabana said, as Kairiu watched his father. "You don't have to go. Right Zassou? Come on, dear. She's doesn't have to leave right?"

"Kusa-oba-chan…" Hikari said, raising a hand. "It's fine. I don't want to live here while this man is." She gestured to Zassou as she spoke.

"But…" Kusabana said, looking sad.

"I'll be fine!" Hikari said, smiling. She walked to her aunt, hugged her. Then she said, "Goodbye Kai-chan. It was fun with you around! I'll miss you!"

Kairiu waved. "Bye-bye, Hika-chan…"

She then turned to her uncle. Her voice turned cool like ice. "Sayonara Zassou. May I never see your face again."

"And may I never see yours," he said, his voice hard as a rock.

Hikari turned, picked up her bags, and walked out the door. She closed it shut and walked out onto the sidewalk. She wandered around for a few blocks until she found a payphone and called Akira's house number.

It was Kumori who answered. "_Hello?_"

"Hey Kumori. Um, I have a question." She was nervous. Who wouldn't be? Asking for a permanent residence would be hard to ask of Akira's family.

"_Oh, Hikari! Well, go ahead_," Kumori's voice was expectant.

"Is Mrs. Wagerman there? I have a question to ask her." '_Though I really don't want to ask it…_' she added as an afterthought.

"_Hold on._" Hikari heard Kumori leave the phone. She heard distant conversation. Kumori was asking Akira where Minori was. Akira said something about upstairs and Kumori's steps grew fainter.

Then, quickly, two sets of steps came down. Someone picked up the phone. Minori answered, "_Hello?_"

"Hi, Mrs. Wagerman," Hikari said, trying to subdue all her nerves and guilt that were attacking every fiber of her being.

"_Oh, hello Hikari dear!!_" Minori said, her voice telling Hikari she was smiling. "_Kumori said you had a question for me?_"

Hikari cleared her throat. "Yes… Um… Well…" She took a deep breath. "I got kicked out of my house. My uncle decided that I'm never allowed back in the house and I really needed a place to stay. Could I stay at your house for a few days until I find a decent place to live."

"_Of course, dear,_" Minori said, her voice compassionate. "_You can stay for as long as you like. If you would like, you could move in. Would that be helpful?_"

Hikari felt tears roll down her face in gratitude. "Yes. Yes. Thank you Mrs. Wagerman. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Minori said, her voice smiling again. "Now, why don't you tell me where you are so we can come get you?"

Hikari nearly laughed as she gave Mrs. Wagerman the directions to the payphone. It didn't take long for all of them, except for Sakura and Kohaku, to come to her rescue in the minivan. The door opened.

"Well, come on!" Kumori said, impatient. "Or are you going to stand there all day?"  
Hikari quickly jumped in, laughing as she joined her friends. She smiled as they drove her back to the house.

When they reached the house, everyone piled out of the car. They all went inside and welcomed Hikari to her new home. Hikari laughed as she was led upstairs by Minori back to the guest room, which would be her room now.

Kumori smiled at Akira. "Well, I wasn't expecting that…" she said. Then she raised eyebrows at Akira, "Did you?"

"Nope," Akira said, looking at Kumori. "I wasn't." She turned to Kumori, "Why do you think that her uncle kicked her out?"

Kumori shrugged, "Beats me. I don't know." She then turned away, thinking about something else. "Hey… Akira?"

"Hmm?" she asked.

"I'm going to go for a walk…" Kumori said, sadness entering her voice.

"Something wrong?" Akira asked, looking at her friend.

"Nah…" she said, walking off towards the door. "I'm just going for a walk."

"Okay…" Akira said, quiet as her friend left.

She watched her younger siblings until it was their nap time. After she had put them down to nap, she wandered to Hikari's room. Hikari was still unpacking. She knocked on the frame of the door.

"Knock, knock," Akira said, as Hikari turned.

"Akira!!" Hikari said, smiling. "Hi!"

"Hi," she smiled. "Need help unpacking?"

Hikari thought about it. "No, I'm almost done, but I could sure use some company. Come in!"

Akira walked in and sat on the bed. "Are you sure you don't need help?" she asked.

"Nope! I'm fine!!" Hikari said, cheerfully. She then said, "So what's bothering you?"

"Bothering me?" Akira asked, confused.

"Akira… You don't have a good liar face .You're very easy to read if someone knows you well enough," Hikari said, putting up a picture.

"What do you mean by that?" Akira asked.

"Oh, you know," Hikari said. "Someone can tell when you're mad, sad, happy, you know, all those basic emotions."

Akira sighed, "Oh."

Hikari nodded. "Yep, yep! So, what's bothering you?"

"I'm just sad…" Akira said, quietly.

"Why?" Hikari asked, as she put up a poster.

"Because… I know I'm going to be lonely…" Akira said, her voice growing sadder.

"What do you mean by…? Oh… Kurama's leaving… I almost forgot…" Hikari said, understandingly. "He is a good friend, huh?"

"Yeah…" Akira said. "He's one of my best friends now. And he's going to be gone for a while. He's not even sure of how long… I'm going to miss him very much…" She chuckled, "I know it's selfish… But I wanted to tie him to a chair today and make sure he didn't leave."

Hikari smiled at Akira. "You should have. That would have been funny to see. The great Kurama, captured by a bunch of girls. But, he would've probably escaped and probably never come back."

Akira nodded. She chuckled, "Yeah… I suppose he would have." She sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. "It can't stop me from being lonely and missing him though." She looked back at Hikari

Hikari nodded and chuckled, "No, I suppose it can't. Though it's not going to bring him back. You know that, right?"

Akira nodded glumly. "Yes, I know. He'll come back in his own time, I guess."

Hikari asked, "Did you ever tell him how you felt?"

Akira shook her head. "No… We're just friends to him, Hikari. I know that. He treats me the same way he treats you, Kumori, Yukina, Keiko… well, you get my drift."

Hikari nodded. "I see your point. Though, I'm not sure that he's ever comforted me while I'm crying. But, I never have cried in front of him, so I guess I wouldn't know."

Akira chuckled. "You know if you ever cried in front of him, he would though," Akira said.

"Yes," Hikari said. "I know he would. But Akira, I think you should've told him. I mean, you don't know when and if he'll come back. But… I guess it wouldn't have been the best time either."

"No…" Akira said, smiling a little. "I doubt it would have."

Hikari finally put the last photo up. "There! All done! I'm going to go out back for a little bit and run around. Do you want to join me?" Hikari asked, hope in her eyes.

Akira shook her head. "Nah… I'm going to go read a book, if you don't mind."

"Yes, I do!" Hikari said, commandingly. As Akira looked at her with a confounded look, she laughed and said, "I'm kidding! Go ahead and go!"

Akira walked up to her room to go look for a book. She finally found her book next to the rose on her bedside table. On the book was a note written in Kurama's hand. It read:

_Yomi wanted me to leave today, so I'm afraid I had to leave before I could tell you three goodbye. I left this note here, Akira so I could tell you: Don't forget your promise. –Kurama._

Akira read and re-read the note several times and she frowned. She swallowed back a lump that was growing in her throat as she knew now her friend was gone. She re-read the note one last time before she made a choice and walked downstairs.

She walked into the dining room where her mother was. Minori was looking over some bills. She took a deep breath and walked up to her mother.

Minori muttered as Akira walked up, "Bills, bills, bills… Is there any other kind of mail now these days?" Then she noticed her daughter standing beside her. "Oh, hello Akira." She noticed the paleness of her daughter's face. "Is something wrong?"

Akira shook her head. She said, "I just have something to tell you and I'm afraid you won't like it…"

Minori smiled, gently at her daughter, "You can always tell me anything, dear. Don't be afraid…"

Akira took a deep breath. She said, "Well, you know how Sakura's been drinking?"

Minori nodded. "Yes, dear. I know how she goes off and drinks. What about it?"

"Well… she's been…" Akira started, but she trailed off.

"She's been what, Akira?" Minori said, looking worriedly at her daughter's face. "Is there something I should know?"

"Yes…" Akira said quietly. "She's been… abusing me, Mom." The words began to tumble out quickly as she relayed all that had happened in the past years. She only hoped that her mother wouldn't be angry with her for hiding her secret.

With Kumori…

After Kumori had walked out the front door, she wandered out to the block. Then, she turned into her half-demon form. She took in a deep breath and ran.

Kumori quickly reached Genkai's temple. She jumped up stairs and walked to the temple door. She knocked.

Yukina opened the door. "Kumori! It's good to see you! How've you been?" she asked, a smile on her face.

Kumori looked over her. "Your Hiruiseki jewel is missing. What happened to it?"

Yukina looked down, then she looked as if she remembered something. "Oh! I gave it to Hiei. I thought he could use it in Demon World to find my brother. You remember what I told you, right?"

Kumori nodded. "Yep. I do." Then, her eyes turned distant and she murmured quietly. "So…he really did leave…damn it…"

Yukina turned to Kumori. "Who left Kumori? Are you talking about Hiei?"

Kumori sighed, "Yeah… I just wanted to tell him goodbye, but I guess I waited too long, huh?"

Yukina smiled. "Don't worry! He'll come back, I think. If he doesn't find my brother, then he'll return my stone. If he doesn't come back, well… maybe you could travel to Demon World."

Kumori scoffed. "Don't be silly. You know as well as I that Demon World has rules against people like me. I'd get taken to the slave markets and sold to a demon as a slave or maybe to a brothel. You know how it is. Only half-demon children of powerful demons or really powerful half-demons are left alone. As I am neither right now, I could easily be captured and it would be lawful."

Yukina smiled sadly. "It isn't fair, is it?"

Kumori smiled back. "Nope. But that's life. It wasn't fair for your brother, it's not fair to you, and it's not fair to Hikari, Akira, or me. I think life only favors the lucky. And unfortunately, I'm not that lucky. Which is ironic since my mom is from a black cat demon tribe, and we're known for our good luck."

"Really?" Yukina said. She looked confused, "But, I thought they were known for their black hair, ears, and tail. So, how did you get your silver hair?"

"Eh, it's a rare trait only a few of the tribe get," Kumori explained. "It doesn't show up much, so it surprised my mom when I was born with it." She looked around, "Say… Where's Genkai?"

"Genkai is visiting some psychic friends from what I understand." Yukina frowned a little bit. "Though, she doesn't want me going with her. I'm afraid I don't understand why."

Kumori said, "Meh, maybe these friends of hers can tell a demon when they see one and tries to kill them. Or maybe they would contact the Spirit World. You know how Yama has been lately. "

Yukina nodded. "Maybe that's it." She paused, thoughtful, then said, "So… Why did you come here? I know you've been very busy with everything, so I was just wondering."

Kumori shrugged. "I just felt like it." She looked around. "Say, do you mind if I stay here? For a little while at least?"

"No, I don't mind," Yukina said, smiling.

"Thanks," Kumori said, smiling back at her. She followed Yukina into the temple. "So… What were you doing?"

Yukina smiled, "I was watering the garden."

"Oh… The one Kurama planted a couple months ago?" Kumori asked.

"Yes. The flowers are very lovely, now that they have bloomed. And some birds have come to visit recently. It's very peaceful," Yukina smiled.

Kumori smiled. "That's great, Yukina! I'm happy for you. After all that you went through, I think you deserve it."

Yukina said, "Thank you, Kumori! That means a lot." They walked into the kitchen, where Yukina grabbed the watering can and then, they both went out to the back yard of the temple.

While Yukina went to finish watering the flowers, Kumori walked to the tree that she and Hikari had dubbed "Hiei's tree". It was a huge tree that Hiei had often sat in. She didn't know what kind of tree it was, though she was sure Kurama could tell her.

She stood looking up at the tree. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose. The same comforting smell of musk with the touch of cinnamon that was Hiei was there. It felt as if he were right there, though in the back of her mind, she knew where he really was.

She opened her eyes and then hopped into the tree. She sat where Hiei had sat for who knew how long. She took another deep breath and sighed. She missed her half-fire and half-ice friend. He may not have considered them friends, but she did.

Since the scent comforted and relaxed her, sleep began to overtake her with astounding force. She sighed and said, "Hiei, you'd better come back soon. If you don't…" She yawned. "I'll… find you… and… bring you… back…" She fell asleep, dreaming that she was with Hiei in another argument. A peace-filled smile crept on to her face.

After, Yukina finished watering the flowers, she looked around and smiled. She saw Kumori and giggled slightly. She whispered, "Sweet dreams, Kumori. I hope Hiei does come back soon. You deserve some happiness too."

Little did she or anyone else left behind know that it would be three years until the girls saw their friends again.

* * *

Ending Comments: So we have now finished Part 1!! Now, I will have three mini stories for you for a little bit, then... *drumroll* On to Part 2. It's so exiciting!! I hope you enjoyed Part 1!! ^^ Don't forget to review!!!


	16. MiniStory 1

MangaMaid's Notes: Okay! So, I know I haven't updated, but I have been working really hard. Yay for Summer Break! I had this class Creative Writing which took all my time. Lesson learned from this: Never take Creative Writing again! You don't learn anything! Anywho, I looked at the date and it's been a little over a year since Akira first appeared in my head, but Heart's Fate's 1st birthday is in 2 days! Yes! So, I shall TRY to post the 1st chappie of Part 2 on that day, but the next couple of days, you shall get the ministories! ^-^ Also, I got a summer cold on the first day of Summer Break, so I am not feeling good, so please any lateness that occurs from it. My thanks go to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel. Also thank you to my editors, demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori! I owe you all hugs. Thank you so much! And now for Mini-Story 1.

Oh! P.S. There is IMing in this chappie. lonexicexcat94 is Kumori's username and 3DancerChild925 is Akira's. Happy reading!

* * *

13-year-old Kumori looked at her friend as she stood in the gateway of the airport. She was dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans, black shoes, and was even wearing black socks. She looked sadly at her friend, Akira, who was wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and the birthday gift Kumori had gotten for her last year, a green t-shirt that had a recycle symbol on it. Kumori took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess this is it."

Akira nodded sadly. She looked depressed as she said, "Yeah. Have fun in Japan."

Akira's mother, Minori, said, "Don't worry, Kumori, dear. It'll be fine. Shiori's very nice and we'll join you in a year."

Kumori nodded. "Ok." She then turned back to Akira. "You'll be fine with your younger siblings and… everything else?"

Akira nodded. "Yep. I think so. Be careful, ok? Japan can be dangerous."

Kumori nodded back to her, smiling. "Don't worry, Akira! Everything will be fine! I'm tough!"

Akira shook her head. "Don't I know it? But still, be careful."

Kumori nodded and chuckled. "Oh, of course. You know I will be."

Minori then came up with a camera. She smiled and said, "Say cheese, you two."

Both smiled at the camera. Their smiles were a little sad as their picture was taken.

Then, the announcement rang, "All passengers, Flight 86 will be leaving shortly. Please report to the gate soon."

Minori stood up, "There's your flight. You'd better hurry. Oh, and Kumori? I'm very sorry your mother couldn't be here."

"Oh, Mom had some family business to attend to," Kumori explained. "Apparently, her family's fighting again. She had to go try and clear it up."

Minori nodded. "All the same, I know she really wanted to be here."

Kumori nodded back. "I know. So, I better go. Hug?" When Akira opened her arms for a hug, Kumori hugged her tightly, and then hugged Minori. She then ran toward her gate and yelled back, "Thank Kohaku for babysitting ok?"

"We will!" Akira yelled. "Bye Kumori! See you next year!"

"See you!" Kumori yelled back. Then she bolted to her gate. As she reached it, the final passengers were getting ready to board. She handed her ticket over, and then after she was waved through, she boarded the plane.

She saw that she had a window seat. She smiled slightly to herself as she sat down in it. She liked looking down from high places so she was glad she had a window seat. What she was about to be not glad for was the passenger next to her.

He was a boy, about her age; he had nice platinum hair and baby blue eyes. As he sat down said, "Hi. I'm Theodore. What's your name?"

"Kumori," she said, pulling out a sketch pad.

"Kumori. That's a Japanese name isn't it?" When she nodded, he said, "That's cool. Is there a reason you're going to Japan? Are you going to visit family there? My parents have business there and so they took me with them. Speaking of which, where are your parents? Are they on the flight too? Or are you traveling alone? Cause if you are that's cool. I mean, are you some orphan who had to move because your long-lost relatives live in Japan? Or are you some sort of secret agent who the government is testing to see if you can infiltrate Japan without being noticed? Or maybe-"

Kumori interrupted, "Listen, Theodore. It's my business as to why I'm going to Japan. But listen, I'm not an orphan or a secret agent, but if I was, do you really think I'd tell a person I just met?"

"Oh… Good point," Theodore said. He was silent for a bit. Then, he said, "So. What do you like to do? Do you like to fly? Personally, I don't care for it because the turbulence make me feel like we're going to crash, but you know, it was either flying or boat and I get seasick so flying it was. What do you like to do in your free time?" He paused for her to give an answer.

So, stiffly, she answered, "I like spending time with my best friend and eating sweet snow."

"Sweet snow? What's that? I never heard of such a thing. Is sweet snow like a new kind of food they invented? Or are you talking about snow cones? Because I don't think that they're that sweet, you know? Sure, they have different flavors, but they are usually fruit and the 'sweet' flavors usually taste bad. Hey, what's your favorite flavor of snow cones? My favorite flavor is Tiger's Blood." He paused again.

So, again, with the same, stiff tone, she said, "I don't really care for snow cones. When I said sweet snow I meant ice cream."

"Ice cream? Oh! You like ice cream? Me too. I love all kinds of ice cream. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, you name it, I'll probably eat it. But I love butter brickle. I think it's the best flavor of ice cream on Earth! Don't you agree? Hey, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

Kumori sighed. It was going to be a long flight.

After the flight at about 3 P.M…

Kumori quickly shot off the plane. "I thought it would never end…" she muttered, rubbing her ear. "That kid can really talk someone's ear off. She looked around and when she saw no one she recognized, she began wandering the airport.

"Now where could they be?" she wondered. "Hn. If I was waiting for me, where would I be?" She sighed as no thoughts came to her. "Damn it! How am I going to find them now?" She sighed and began walking again, when she walked straight into a person and toppled over.

"Ow…" she said, rubbing her head. "Well, that hurt."

"I'm sorry. Are you all right?" A voice asked.

Kumori blinked back the tiny stars that were popping in her eyes and looked up. She saw a redheaded … boy? At least, she thought it was a boy. He sounded like a boy, but he had long red hair and his face could be mistaken for a girl at a glance. She shook her head, stood up, and brushed herself off.

She said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just… lost and I can't find the people I'm looking for." She groaned, "And I keep getting more lost."

He said, "Well, who are you looking for? I might be able to help you find them."

Kumori frowned, but she decided that the extra help could be useful. She said, "I'm looking for the Minamino family. They are supposed to be my host family until the family I'm staying with permanently gets here."

The boy smiled, "So I'm guessing that you are Kumori Aisubachi, then?"

Kumori's eyes widened and she looked taken aback. "How the hell did you know that?"

He chuckled. "I'm Shuuichi Minamino. I'm Shiori's son." He held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kumori looked down at his hand, and then stared up at him. Then, she took his hand in a firm grasp and shook it. She said, "Hi." Then, she looked around. "Um… Where's your mother?"

He chuckled again. "Follow me." He led Kumori to a woman she recognized as Shiori.

When Shiori saw them, she stood up. "You're Kumori?" she asked, smiling at Kumori. Her voice was the same as when she had been speaking to Kumori on the phone about living arrangements.

Kumori nodded. She smiled a little.

Shiori said, "Then why don't we go home and get you settled in?"

Kumori nodded and she followed Shiori and Shuuichi outside. Then, as they walked to the Minamino residence, questions she expected began to be asked.

"So, Kumori," Shiori said, "What do you do in your free time?"

Kumori said, "Oh… um… Well, I like to draw a little, I guess. I don't do it very often… Um… I like to nap and listen to songs… But, I guess what I did mostly in my free time was hang out with my friend."

Shiori nodded and then said, "So, what's your favorite food?"

"Sweet snow!" Kumori instantly answered.

Shiori looked at her. "Sweet snow?"

"Oh… Uh… That's what I call ice cream… I've called it sweet snow since I was little…" Kumori said, quietly.

"Oh, all right," Shiori said, understandingly. And the questioning continued. When they reached the house, Shiori said, "I'm going to make lunch. Shuuichi, would you show Kumori to her room?"

Shuuichi nodded, "Of course Mother." He turned and said, "Follow me." He led her to a room down the hall. It was off white and her mirror, desk, and bed were set up. It was filled with boxes that Kumori recognized were hers. "This is your room."

Kumori looked around it and nodded. She then blinked and walked inside; going over to her boxes ready to start unpacking. She heard the soft steps of Shuuichi walking away. She closed her eyes and opened a box.

She unpacked slowly, taking a few hours. As she unpacked, dizzy spells suddenly began to attack her. She kept shaking her head, fending them off. Finally she finished, placing her last object on the desk. She sat on her bed, quietly looking around at her new surroundings. A lone tear fell from her eye, but she quickly wiped it away.

She lay down on her bed, looking at the ceiling. She was silent as she heard soft footsteps coming down the hall. A soft knock came from the door frame.

"Kumori?" a familiar voice said. Kumori turned to face Shuuichi. He said, "Dinner is ready. Would you like to join us?"

She nodded, standing up. As she did, a strong dizzy spell attacked. She shook it off and began following Shuuichi downstairs. She sat down at the table, but she felt awkward as Shiori and Shuuichi began talking to each other. They seemed to have been doing this for a long time. It was a little bit of a painful reminder as her mind changed the scene to one of herself and her mother.

Kumori felt loneliness start to overwhelm her. She didn't really feel at home here and she missed her own mother and her friends. She was silent and barely answered any questions that she was asked.

After dinner, Kumori got up and wandered around, trying to figure out what to do as Shuuichi went upstairs. She was about to wander upstairs and go to her room when she remembered that she promised to send her mother an email. She walked to the kitchen where she saw Shiori, with her back turned to her. She cleared her throat.

Shiori turned around, quickly. Once she saw who it was, she sighed. "Kumori, dear, you startled me."

Kumori said, "Sorry about that… Um… Mrs. Minamino…?"

Shiori smiled. "What is it, Kumori?"

"Um… I need to send my mom an email… Can I do that?"

"Of course," Shiori said, smiling. "There's a computer in the living room. You can use it if you would like."

"Thank you," Kumori said. She then walked into the living room, over to the computer, and started it up. After it was up and running, she clicked on the internet and went to her email site. The email screen read: **Welcome lonexicexcat94. You have no new messages.**

Kumori sighed and then clicked on the icon that opened the program to write a new letter. She waited as it uploaded, then began typing.

_Hey Mom,_

_How are you? Well, here I am emailing you. Things are ok… The Minaminos are nice, but I miss you. I hope everything is settled with your side of the family. Well, I love you and I hope to hear from you sometime soon._

_Love ya,_

_Kumori._

Kumori clicked "Send" and after it was sent, she looked at her page, thinking of writing a letter to Akira. She then noticed that her contacts showed that someone was online. When she checked she couldn't believe her luck as she saw Akira's penname, 3DancerChild925, online. She began typing.

_lonexicexcat94: Hello?_

_3DancerChild925: Hi! ^^_

_3DancerChild925: How are things there?_

_lonexicexcat94: Ok. The Minaminos are nice, I guess…_

_3DancerChild925: But?_

_lonexicexcat94: Neh, Iono. I just feel a little… Iono._

_3DancerChild925: You don't know? Why not?_

_lonexicexcat94: Iono. _

_3DancerChild925: That seems to be your answer a lot, lately. ^-^_

_lonexicexcat94: Hn._

_lonexicexcat94: So, what's up with you? And why are you up so early in the morning? It's 3 AM over there._

_3DancerChild925: Nothing much. I have a paper due for Lujard and you know how she is about punctuality. ^^" I forgot to do it. _

_lonexicexcat94: I thought so. _

A hand touched Kumori's shoulder. She jumped and turned to see Shuuichi looking at the monitor. "Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"My friend, Akira," she replied. She then explained, "Akira is Minori's third daughter."

"What's she doing up so early in the morning?" he asked.

"She's typing a paper that she forgot to do," Kumori replied. "She forgets stuff like that."

Shuuichi nodded. "May I join you?"

"Sure why not?" Kumori said, pulling up a chair. She then turned to the monitor as Shuuichi joined her.

_3DancerChild925: Hey! I don't always forget my homework! _

As Kumori began typing a response, she turned to Shuuichi. "Hey," she said, "Do you want to say something to her?"

He chuckled. "I suppose so. Tell her good morning."

_lonexicexcat94: Sure you don't. And I'm the tooth fairy. Oh, and Shuuichi says good morning_

_3DancerChild925: Oh! Hi, Shuuichi. Good… afternoon? Anyways, Ms. Tooth Fairy. Sakura still wants to know where her last dollar was from the last time she lost a tooth. XD _

_lonexicexcat94: Not funny. _

_3DancerChild925: ^^ So you say._

_lonexicexcat94: Don't you have a paper to do?_

_3DancerChild925: Oh… right… I better go get that done. Um… If you want to talk you can, but I won't respond as quickly._

_lonexicexcat94: Ok._

Kumori turned to face Shuuichi. "Um, did you want something?" As he opened his mouth, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea hit. She held up her hand and put the other hand over her mouth. She said, "Hold that thought."

She then bolted through the house to the bathroom, as she began vomiting. After her stomach contents had left her, she began dry heaving. Her stomach began aching as she couldn't seem to stop the dry heaves that racked her body, trying to remove the nonexistent food in her body.

She felt pale and a cold sweat broke over her. She finally stopped heaving and shook her head. She woozily walked back to her seat. Shuuichi looked worriedly at her as she sat.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worried. "You look quite pale."

"F-F-Fine…" she stammered, her stomach starting to act up. She groaned and hunched over, shuddering as a cold sweat broke over her.

Shuuichi put a gentle hand on her back. "Perhaps I should get my mother."

Kumori weakly nodded, all of her strength suddenly gone. She felt really sick as Shuuichi quickly left to find Shiori. She briefly typed an IM to Akira.

_lonexicexcat94: Akira, I'm not feeling well all of the sudden. I have to go. Sorry._

She logged off and kept sitting, unable to stand. She began shuddering as her body felt as if was going to be violently sick. She hunched over again, trying to fight off the pain.

Shiori came in and quickly rushed over. She touched Kumori's quivering shoulders. She quietly asked, "Kumori, are you all right?"

Kumori shook her head, slowly. She took a breath and let out a quiet "No".

"Can you stand?" Shiori asked.

Kumori tried. As her legs nearly gave out, Shiori caught her small frame and helped her walk. Shiori helped her up the stairs and to her room. Then, Kumori walked by herself into her room, stumbled to her bed. As she did so, she felt a blackness press itself over her eyes and she quickly was out like a light.

Later that night…

Kurama was working at his desk on some homework that had been assigned earlier in the week. He sighed as he also looked at the paperwork beside it, which had been assigned to him by Koenma. Well, it was the least he could do, after what he had done.

Suddenly, Kurama felt a presence of energy he hadn't noticed before. He looked up and listened. There wasn't any sign of a demon nearby, just some energy. He couldn't smell anything either. It confused him.

Suddenly, the sound of feet on his windowsill caused him to turn and see Hiei standing in his window. He smiled a little.

"Ah, Hiei," he said. "What brings you here?"

Hiei looked around Kurama's room as if expecting some enemy to appear from somewhere. He then said, "I sensed something…"

"Yes," Kurama agreed. "I sense it too. But there don't seem to be any signs of a demon. At least, not an active one. But, I am going to take some precautionary methods just in case. I wouldn't suggest coming here for a little bit. You may find some plants that won't give you a warm welcome."

"Hn." Hiei turned and suddenly vanished without a trace.

Kurama got up to his window, closed the window, and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He then walked to his plants, quickly feeding them some of his energy. They began inching out of his room, following his orders.

They inched along the hall and then inched into Kumori's room. Kumori suddenly sat up, awake. She clutched at her stomach and quickly darted out of the room, into the bathroom, dry heaving again into the toilet as there was nothing in her stomach. She then got up slowly and went to the mirror. There she saw behind her plant vines rising up as if to attack her.

She stared for a moment as her brain processed what was going on. Then, she gave a small scream and dashed for the kitchen.

Shiori and Shuuichi were still up and in the kitchen when Kumori darted downstairs. They both turned to look at her as she skidded to a stop.

"Kumori?" Shiori asked, "Is something wrong?"

Kumori took a deep breath and said, "Is there some weed-killer or something I could borrow?"

"No," Shiori said. "We do the weeding by hand. Why? Whatever would you need weed-killer for?"

"There is this gigantic plant in the bathroom and it's trying to eat me!"

Shiori walked over to Kumori and touched her forehead. She asked, "Are you sure you're feeling all right, Kumori? You were a little sick earlier."

Kumori nodded her head vigorously. "I promise! There was a gigantic plant in the bathroom and it was going to eat me!"

Shiori looked at her worriedly. "Maybe you need a little more sleep, you still look a little pale."

Kumori reluctantly nodded. She walked up slowly to her room and closed the door, locking it. She then crawled into her bed, falling quickly asleep.

Soon after Kumori had gone to her room, Kurama walked up the stairs to his own room. As he did, he passed Kumori's door and noticed something odd. The plants he had set up were pressed up against her door, as if they were trying to get in.

He lightly touched his plants and tried the door. It wouldn't open, but he listened and only heard the slight breathing of Kumori. He touched the plants and calmed them. He then walked to his room and went back to work.

During the night, Kumori didn't sleep well. As Kumori slept, she tossed and turned. Sweat poured down face and she dreamed that she was being turned inside out. Her breathing became haggard and she felt like she was being torn apart.

She suddenly sat up, eyes wide. She gasped, touching her face. She sighed and looked at the time. The clock read 6:00 A.M. She shook her head and stood up. She walked to her full-length mirror, to look and make sure she wasn't too much of a mess. What she saw shocked and scared her at the same time.

She had a silver cat tail.

She pulled at it to make sure it was real. When she felt a sharp jerk as she pulled it, her eyes widened. Then, she screamed.

A sudden, sharp knocking sounded and Kumori turned to the closed, locked door. Kumori turned to the door. She began to worry.

"Kumori?" Shuuichi's voice was urgent. "I heard you scream. Is everything ok?"

Kumori looked worriedly at the door, then at her reflection. She wasn't sure what she was going to say. She looked nervously again at herself.

"Kumori, if you don't tell me what's going on, I will come in," Shuuichi said, dead serious.

Kumori looked again at herself and nearly whimpered with fear. She didn't know what she was going to do! Plus, how was she supposed to explain this?

She heard the door unlock and watched with horror, Shuuichi walk in. He looked at her, and she thought she saw his eyes widen slightly.

"Kumori? Wha-?" he began, shocked. But, she cut him off.

"Shuuichi…" she said, looking worried. Then she grabbed her tail and said, in a voice that was nearly a wail, "I have a tail!" She then began to freak out. "Oh no…" she said, falling to her knees. Then, she curled into a ball. "What am I going to do?" she asked as she hugged herself.

Shuuichi knelt next to her and touched her shoulder. She looked up and he smiled gently. "Try to think of your human appearance." When she looked confused, he said, "Just do it."

She closed her eyes and began to think of how she looked without a long, silver, cat tail. She focused on it, trying to forget waking up. When she opened her eyes, her appearance was normal. At least, normal for her. She looked at Shuuichi and said, "How-?"

"Shuuichi! Kumori!" Shiori called up. "Breakfast!"

Shuuichi stood up and said, "I'll explain later. We should probably get to breakfast, so Mother doesn't worry." He left the room and Kumori stared after him. Then, she followed him downstairs.

During breakfast, Kumori watched Shuuichi and Shiori converse and she wondered if Shiori would also act like her sprouting a tail was normal. She kept quiet and just watched them, though, but she did nod when Shiori asked her if she was sure she felt well enough to go to school. Finally, Shiori looked at the clock.

"Oh, it looks like it's time for you both to go to school," she said.

Shuuichi nodded and stood. Kumori did the same. Both walked to the door and put their shoes on. Then, they said goodbye to Shiori and walked outside.

As they walked, Kumori asked, "Care to explain now?"

Shuuichi shook his head. "Not at the moment, no."

"Too bad," Kumori said, looking at him. He kept silent and she said, "Come on, Shuuichi. Tell me. How did you know how to hide my tail? I doubt that's common knowledge for anyone."

Shuuichi said, "Well, when you have lived as long as I have, you tend to learn things."  
Kumori frowned, "You're only fifteen! I doubt even people who are in their fifties know how to deal with my problem! Come on, Shuuichi! Tell me!"

"Not right now," Shuuichi said.

"Shuuichi… Tell me," Kumori said, staring him down as her voice was dead serious.

"I told you I would explain later," he said. "Now, I promise I will explain later. But you need to be patient."

Kumori nodded reluctant. "Fine," she said. "But mark my words, Shuuichi Minamino, if you do not tell me today, I _will_ get it out of you!" Then, she walked on, silently anticipating the end of the day.

Later in the day…

Kumori listened to the droning of the teacher. Why oh why, did she have to go to Sarayashiki? Oh right, because she had had to transfer in the middle of the school year. She sighed when suddenly, her feet hurt.

She looked at her shoes. They were suddenly very uncomfortable. She frowned. Her feet were a little small in them, but that should've made them comfortable. She glared at the offending foot coverings and slipped them off her feet.

She smiled when they came off. As she sat, she began to feel sleepy. She couldn't figure out why but soon after, she drifted to sleep.

"Aisubachi! Aisubachi!" a voice yelled.

Kumori didn't wake. She kept peacefully dreaming that she was in Oregon again. She snoozed on, peacefully unaware of the yelling directed at her.

Then, a loud slam sounded and she shot out of her desk. When she landed in it, she looked like a cat that had been spooked. She looked around.

"Who? What? Where? Huh?" she said.

"Aisubachi!" the teacher said, annoyed. "Glad to see you have joined us. Now please-!" The bell cut him off. He sighed, "All right, everyone. Go have lunch." Kumori quickly slipped her shoes on and was about to leave when the teacher said, "Aisubachi. Come here."

She slowly walked up to the teacher's desk. She was apprehensive.

He looked at some papers and then looked at her. "Aisubachi," he said. "I would really like to think you have potential. Really, I would. So, would you mind explaining to me why you fell asleep in my class?"

"Well… uh…" she said, drawing a blank on the teacher's name.

"Mr. Iwamoto," he said.

"Right. Well, Mr. Iwamoto, I think I may be suffering from some jetlag, you know with Japan being 16 hours ahead of where I come from… So, I'm really sorry! But I'm just dead on my feet today." She bowed. "Please forgive my behavior in class."

"Very well," he said, writing it off. "But know this, Aisubachi. If you become a cockroach, I'll have to exterminate you from my school."

She nodded and quickly left the room. Somehow, she was sure she would not get along with Iwamoto.

As she walked into the classroom to eat her lunch, she noticed that everyone was in a group except for a girl with orange hair. She sighed and sat by herself. She missed having lunch with someone.

Suddenly, her desk was being tapped. She looked up. There, standing in front of her, was the orange haired girl.

"Um… You're the new girl right?" she asked, looking at her with bright green eyes.

"Yeah…" Kumori said, reluctant.

"Well, could I sit with you?" she asked, looking at Kumori with a big puppy dog look.

"Um… ok?" Kumori said, unsure of herself.

"Great!" the orange hair girl said, bringing her desk over. "My name's Hikari Haruhi! What's yours?"

"It's Kumori Aisubachi," Kumori replied.

"Really? That's awesome! Wish I had a name like that!" Hikari said.

Kumori scoffed. "No, you don't. When kids back home found out what it meant, they'd get a little scared."

"Really? I wouldn't be scared. I'd just think that your parents were punks or something. Though, with your hair, people might already think that," she chuckled.

Kumori smirked. Wait till she told her it was natural. Both girls began talking and after lunch it was apparent that Kumori had already made one friend.

After school…

Kumori was surprised to see Shuuichi waiting for her when she got out of school. What surprised her even more was the fact that two boys she recognized from school were talking to him. They all turned to look at her as she approached. Then, the two boys took off.

"What was that about?" she asked Shuuichi as she walked up to him.

"Nothing…" he said, sincerity ringing in his voice.

Kumori didn't believe him, but she dropped it as they began walking back to the house. Then she asked, "Now are you going to tell me how you knew to deal with my little… 'condition' this morning?"

He sighed, "I should've guessed you wouldn't drop that… I suppose I will, but tell me Kumori, did anything strange happen, such as falling asleep or any other changes in behavior in class occur?"

"Well… yeah…" she said. "How'd you know that?"

"It's as I thought…" Shuuichi murmured, more to himself than to Kumori.

"What's as you thought?" Kumori asked, confused.

"Kumori…" he said. "What would you say if I told you that there were demons living in this world?"

"I'd say that'd be awesome, or you were nuts," Kumori replied. "Why?"

"Well, I think you may be a half-demon," Shuuichi said, thoughtfully. "You're showing all the signs of it."

'_Great… Something else to get ostracized for…'_ Kumori thought. Then, she said, "Wait! How would _you_ know the signs of a half-demon? I mean you're a normal human."

Shuuichi sighed, "Well…"

"You're not?" Kumori asked, surprised.

"No, I am not," Shuuichi confirmed.

"Then what are-?" she began to ask.

"That is a story for another time," Shuuichi said, cutting her off. "But my mother knows nothing about this. So, you need to keep this a secret from her."

"O…kay?" she said, confused. She looked at her hands and then noticed something. "What the hell?"

Shuuichi turned to her. "Kumori?"

"When the fuck did my nails get so long?" she asked, holding a hand up to him.

He took her hand and murmured. "So, you've finished the third transformation. You must be a half demon."

"Great…Wonderful…I'm a half-demon…Wait…Did you say third? Wait one moment, how many of these things are there?"

Shuuichi didn't answer. He seemed to be thinking about something. Then, he said, "I guess it's a good thing Mother has a short business trip tonight. She won't be home until tomorrow. But, it seems I may have to ask of Hiei a favor…"

"Wait, who?" Kumori asked, looking at him.

Shuuichi suddenly stopped as they reached a crosswalk, but Kumori who hadn't been paying stopped and tripped. She flew right toward the busy street.

"Kumori!" Shuuichi called, reaching for her. He grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back to him.

Kumori was stunned. She looked at Shuuichi, to the busy street, and back again. She was shocked he had caught her.

He looked relieved, but he said, "Seems I will have to ask Hiei. You need to be watched. Plus, since you are transforming, you do need someone who can watch you in case any disorientation with your new power occurs…"

"Aren't you going to be there?" Kumori asked.

"No… I have to see someone. They contacted me earlier to discuss you tonight. Don't worry, Hiei may seem bad-tempered when you first meet him, but if I ask him to watch you, I think he'll make sure nothing bad happens."

"You think?" Kumori asked, suddenly nervous.

"It'll be fine Kumori," Shuuichi said, reassuring her. "Nothing bad will happen."

Kumori didn't seem so sure. She was quiet as Shuuichi opened the door to the house when they reached it. She looked around the house and noticed that Shiori was running around like crazy.

"Mother?" Shuuichi asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, Shuuichi!" she said, smiling at her son. "No… nothing is wrong. I just am looking for a phone number. Now, where did I put it…?" She wandered off to another room, looking for it.

Soon after, Shiori found what she was looking for and soon left after that. Kumori sighed as Shuuichi left to go find Hiei. She waited for an hour and worried over what Shuuichi had said earlier when she heard the sound of a door opening and heard Shuuichi speaking with another voice.

She walked in to the foyer and saw a boy who only a few inches taller than her. She guessed this was Hiei. He had spiky, gravity-defying, blackish-blue hair that held a white starburst in the front. He wore a black cloak and his eyes were a startling crimson, very close to blood-red…if not already that color. When both turned to look at her, he glared.

Shuuichi said, "Kumori. This is Hiei. He's a fire and ice demon. Hiei, this is Kumori. She's the half-demon I am asking you to watch."

"Remind me, fox," he said to Shuuichi as he glared at Kumori. "Why I am doing this?"

Shuuichi sighed, "Hiei, it will only be for a couple of hours. I wouldn't have asked if I really didn't need you to do this. She's a bit prone to accidents right now and I think her family and my mother would really appreciate it if she didn't die."

Hiei's eyes closed and he scoffed. "Hn. Fine. This should be easy."

Kumori's eyes narrowed as she heard the tone in his voice. "Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Shuuichi sweat-dropped. "Well, I better go. See you both later." He left the house.

Kumori was still glaring at Hiei. Hiei glared back. It seemed to be a never-ending glare fest. Then, Kumori turned away, knowing that she probably wouldn't have won, but still annoyed with the fact.

"Stupid Shuuichi…" she muttered. "I could take care of myself."

"Hn," Hiei scoffed. "You're a baka, onna."

Kumori felt something snap. "_What did you just call me_? Listen you short frickin' bastard of a demon! I am not a child! I can take care of myself!"

Hiei glared at her again. She glared back, this time determined not to give in. It was going to be a long night.

In Spirit World, a few hours later…

"Koenma," Kurama said, a little agitated. "I do need to get back. I have told you everything I know about Kumori. I suggest that you ask her instead of trying to pull answers I do not have from me."

"I'm just double checking Kurama," Koenma said. "It's rare for a half-demon to be born. Usually, it's a human with a sleeper gene for being a demon. Half-demons are rare. Especially since demons and humans usually don't cross breed. If this Kumori is a true half-demon that makes two in the vicinity."

"Two?" Kurama asked his brow furrowing.

"Yes… Two," Koenma said. He said, "I'll explain later. It's 3 A.M. You should probably get home to check on her. Oh, and before I forget… Kurama, bring her to me tomorrow."

Kurama nodded and left. He quickly went home. When he opened the door, he found Kumori and Hiei glaring at each other. She now had fangs and her pupil's had turned catlike.  
Kurama gave a tired voice, "I'm back."

"Kurama…" Hiei said, in a bad mood. "You were gone for over 6 hours…"

"I'm sorry Hiei," Kurama said. "Koenma was insistent of trying to pull answers from me about Kumori. If you would like you can leave." Hiei vanished.

Kumori suddenly asked, "Kurama? Wait… I'm confused. And who's Koenma?"

Kurama sighed, "Kurama is my real name Kumori… I am actually a fox demon called Youko Kurama trapped in the human body that is called Shuuichi Minamino. I was injured badly and I possessed a stillborn's body. My mother knows nothing of this and I intend to keep it that way."

Kumori nodded. "Okay…I believe you, for some crazy reason…probably because I, myself am crazy…But I believe you…So I guess I am a half-demon…Huh…And who's this Koenma?"

"Koenma is my boss, basically. He is the person I went to go visit while Hiei watched you. He is the son of King Yama."

"Yama? Wow…" Kumori said, stunned. "Wait…so why did this Koenma want answers on me?"

"Kumori, half-demons are rare. Especially rare since the child usually born to a demon and a human is a human child with a dormant gene to become a demon. So, whenever a half-demon is in Human World, it becomes Spirit World business since they cannot control the transformation and usually accidentally give away the existence of demons. So, Spirit World fixes the problem. But, since you're living with my family, I can help you hide it."

"Ok…" Kumori said, "So how many more transformations do I have left?"

"Well, seeing as you have fangs and your eyes have changed, I would say two more transformations will occur. I would suggest that you stay home sick tomorrow."

"Great idea," she said. "Except one problem: I need a good reason to be here sick."

"Not to worry," Kurama said. "I can persuade my mother that you are sick quite easily."

She nodded. "So what are you going to do?"

"I am going to call the school and inform them you caught a 24 hour bug. My teachers won't mind if I'm absent if I explain I was taking care of a sick friend."

She nodded. "Ok…So, what am I supposed to do?"

"I suppose the ideal thing would be for you to sleep," Kurama said. "I don't doubt it will be easy for you, I think, because according to the information Koenma gave me, you are part cat. So you will probably be asleep until the last transformation."

"What happens then?" she asked. "I try to tear people's heads off?"

Kurama laughed, "No, nothing that drastic. You will just have a strong craving for milk. Also, I think your appearance will be slightly altered, since you don't have enough experience yet to keep your human appearance when you are asleep."

"Oh…" Kumori said nodding. "Great…Well, it's almost 4, so I'm going to go to bed.' She went upstairs and walked into her room. As she tucked herself in, sleep quickly took over her.

_Kumori was in a fog. She heard yelling. As she looked around, the fog dissipated and she saw many people in a crowd. A man that had black hair, matching cat ears, and tail was speaking._

"_Everyone, I know that you as well as I are shocked to learn that our next leader has had a half-demon child. But we must follow the rules. If she is to be the future heir, let us raise her in our ways. I'm sure that she will do well, but only if we teach her," he said._

"_Hah!" a voice said. "You only say that because she's your niece!" Another man stood. He also had black hair, ears, and tail. "I say we kill the runt! She's weaker than the rest of us, and we are supposed to follow her? For many years, our tribe has never even touched humans. As we all know, they are bugs that need to be exterminated. Now, our next leader has sullied herself by having a child with one! And that child carries the filth! Should we really let this abomination to society, this half-breed, lead us? I ask you all that! As for me, I tell you I will not follow this child when she grows up."_

_Everyone began murmuring. But the man who had first spoken, looked angry. As if he had hackles and they were raised. He hissed at the second man, who was looking like he had just eaten a canary. _

_Suddenly, the first man tackled the second and a fight broke out. Kumori was shocked to see everyone begin fighting. She backed away and bolted off, running from it._

Kumori woke up. When she looked at her clock, it read 1:00 P.M. She was surprised. She had sleep for 9 hours. She got up and looked at her appearance and was surprised.

Her ears had transformed into silver cat ears, her eyes held cat pupils, she had claws and fangs, and her silver tail was twitching. She stared at herself. She blinked and her stomach growled. She went downstairs to go find something to eat.

She went into the kitchen and looked in the fridge. She found that the milk was calling to her. She poured herself a big glass and guzzled it down. After she finished it, she looked around. Where was the redheaded fox who had explained everything?

She stood up and walked around. She couldn't find him anywhere. She wondered where he could be. She sighed, agitated and went up to her room to change. When she came back down, she poured herself another glass of milk and went to go find the fox so he could help her with her appearance.

She walked out back and quickly found his red hair. She could see and hear things much more clearly now so it was easy. She walked to her friend was kneeling to the flower garden, probably weeding it.

"Hey, um…Shuuichi, or should I call you Kurama?" she asked.

Kurama looked up and turned. "Hello Kumori…" he smiled. He then answered her question, "In front of others, call me Shuuichi, but it is all right to call me Kurama right now."

"Ok…Kurama… Um… Could you help me? I need to hide my true appearance right? Well, I'm not very good at it," she said, looking at her feet.

"You look human," Kurama said, perplexed. "Did you look in a mirror after you did so?"

"Yeah…" Kumori said.

"Well, that would explain why? Your energy isn't strong enough to hide everything quickly, so you need to wait for a few minutes," Kurama explained.

"Oh…Ok!" Kumori said, nodding. "So, what are we going to do today until your mom gets home?"

"Well, Koenma would like to meet with you today…" Kurama said.

"Ok…" Kumori said. "I think I can handle it…Besides I'll learn more about this half-demon thing…When are we leaving?"

In Spirit World…

George ran up to Koenma's desk. "Koenma sir! Koenma sir!" he yelled.

"Yes, Ogre?" Koenma asked, boredom ringing in his voice as he stamped the never-ending stack of papers. "What is it?"

"Kurama is here with the half-demon girl," George said, out of breath.

"Bring them in," Koenma said.

As they walked in, Kumori looked around the vast room. She was surprised. It was huge. She then noticed the toddler at the desk.

"Ah, Kurama," Koenma said. "You're here. Thank you for bringing the girl." He hopped out of the chair and walked up to them. "Hello," he said bowing at Kumori. "I am Koenma. Son of King Yama."

Kumori stared at him. "But, you're a toddler."

"For your information missy, I have lived much longer than you," Koenma said, stiffly. "But anyway, I have a feeling from what Kurama's told me, you wouldn't have come here without a reason."

Kumori nodded, "Um…well, I was wondering if you could tell me why I am a half-demon and junk…"

"I understand. Yes…well," Koenma said. "It seems your contact with Kurama and your age awoke your demonic side."

"Well, gee…" Kumori bit sarcastic, "It's not like I figured that out…Thanks."

"Hold on, Kumori," Koenma said, raising a hand. "We looked into your records and your parents histories. Did you know that your mother is a demon?"

"My mother is a what?" Kumori asked.

"A demon. And a high-ranked one at that. She was a Class B last we heard from her and she was fated to be the next ruler of her tribe."

"Was? What do you mean was?" Kumori asked.

"Perhaps you should discuss that with her…" Koenma said. "But if you don't mind, I want to continue on with business. As you are fairly new to this, I would like to send you to a psychic named Genkai to hone in on your powers. Does that seem good to you?"

Kumori nodded, slowly. She sensed there was a second part to this.

"Good. In return for this, I would like you to work for me part-time with the Reikai Tantei," Koenma said. "You've already met two of the members, Kurama and Hiei."

"What?" Kumori said, exasperated. "I have to work with _Hiei_?"

"It's only part-time," Koenma said. "I promise. Will you do it?"

Kumori regretfully nodded. As she did, she knew she had just signed her fate to a much different life than she had had in America.

* * *

Ending Comments: Ok! That was number 1! 2 more minis to go! Yay! You know what to do! Review!


	17. MiniStory2

MangaMaid's Notes: So here's Mini-Story 2. This one is when Akira and Kurama first met. Sorry for the shortness, but there was nothing to be added. Thank yous to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel. And thank you to my two editors: demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori! Glomps for you all!

* * *

Kurama stared, bored, at all the childish toys he had gotten, trying to figure out what to "play" with. He sometimes wished he hadn't decided to go into a human body. It wasn't that his "parents" were bad. In fact, his "mother" was actually quite kind, but he was a little annoyed at being treated like a miserable human. His "mother" then walked in the room and he turned to look at her.

"Shuuichi," Shiori said, "Remember my friend, Minori? Well, she's visiting today and she has a girl your age, Akira. Akira's going to play with you today. All right?"

'_Do I have a choice?_' Kurama thought, bitterly. '_I had to become a human and now I'm stuck playing with a child._' But he said, in that child's voice he had now, "Ok."

His "mother" smiled and left to call Minori. A few hours later, Shiori's friend, Minori walked in with two other girls, and she was carrying-who he guessed to be-Akira. She was a little two-year-old girl with bright, big, blue eyes and small brown curls. Minori set Akira down with a bag for her.

"Shuuichi, you and Akira play nice, ok?" Shiori said. She and Minori left the room.

Kurama nodded with an innocent child look, though on the inside he was irritated. Why did she expect him to play with a hapless child? He should've just let himself die, instead of becoming a human child.

He looked at Akira, who was staring at him. She seemed to be deciding something. She stuck a fist in her mouth.

He stared back at her, eyes narrowing. What _was_ she doing? Was she just going to stare at him?

His question was answered when Akira tilted her head to the side and smiled, closing her eyes as she did so. "Hah," she said, grinning.

Kurama stared her down, watching her every move. Waiting for her to do something besides smile at him. She laughed.

He watched her, cocking one of his eyebrows in a questioning face. She seemed to be pleased by this as she laughed even more and clapped her hands.

She smiled, showing him her new teeth that were coming in. He stared at her again. Watching her every move, calculations running throughout his head of what she could do...

Akira suddenly stood up, catching Kurama off guard. He fell over, somersaulting into a crouch. Akira giggled and pulled out a black marker. Suddenly, it hit Kurama faster than the hit that had forced him into this pitiful existence.

She wouldn't.

Suddenly, Akira broke out into a run after Kurama. Kurama suddenly pulled himself up and bolted away from her. Akira chased him round and round the room, filled with energy the two year olds have.

Kurama kept running, when suddenly a tackle from behind tripped him into a roll. Akira, who had tackled him, was pulled in and both rolled around on the ground. When they stopped, Akira was on top of Kurama in a position that would've been compromising if they were older.

Kurama suddenly blushed as the thought crossed his mind. Akira, who was an innocent human child, laughed as she realized she had Kurama, or in her mind Shuuichi, pinned. She spoke for the first time and said, "Gots you!"

Kurama stared up at her. She uncapped the marker and began to draw whiskers on his face. When she finished, she pointed and said, "You a fox!"

Kurama stared up at her, forgetting that she had drawn on his face. "What?" he asked, fearful she had discovered his secret.

"FOX!" she said. "You a fox! Fox! Fox, fox, fox! FOX!" She laughed, repeating "fox" over and over again.

Kurama suddenly recalled had his "mother" had mentioned that Akira had learned the word fox recently. He sighed and said, "No. I'm human."

"NO!" she said, "You a FOX! You gots whiskers!" She poked his cheek where a whisker had been drawn. Then she stopped babbling.

Kurama looked up at her. He was annoyed. What would she do now? Draw flowers?

Suddenly, she took a deep breath, held it, and... tugged on his hair.

Kurama blinked. Did she just pull his hair?

Then it happened again. Another tug. Kurama tried to push her off, but she wiggled, showing she wasn't moving. Unfortunately, Kurama's adult mind perceived this differently and he had to remind himself over and over again she was two.

Akira began to jerk on his hair, tugging on it like she was trying to rip it out.

Kurama pushed her off, but that didn't stop her. She crawled behind him and began to tug on it some more. Kurama felt the urge to curse. But then his mind thought, 'She's only 2. Besides, if I did that, I'd be caught. Resist urge to cuss out two-year-old...'

Akira continued pulling on his hair and Kurama continued the mantra, "Must not cuss out the two-year-old." Finally Akira tired of it.

She suddenly tackled him again. Kurama, prepared for it this time, pinned her down. She laughed, "You gots me!"

Kurama rolled his eyes, got off her, and went to go sit away from her. He sighed, rubbing his forehead, sighing. He shook his head.

Suddenly, he heard Akira ask, "Shueeshee… why you mad?"

Kurama turned to her. "What?" he asked.

"Haku-nee and Saku-nee," she started. Then she imitated his sigh and said, "When they mad too. And they don' wanna play neither."

Kurama stared at her. She stared back. But, after a few minutes she became bored and went to her bag. She pulled out some paper and crayons. She set the papers on the floor and took out a blue crayon and began scribbling.

"Shueeshee?" she asked. "You wanna color?"

He didn't want to. But he knew she was trying to play nice. "Ok…" he said, walking over.

He shuddered at the thought of anyone seeing him in this state. The great Youko Kurama, reduced to coloring with a two-year-old human. Of course, no one knew him in this body, and his energy still felt like a human's.

He then heard Akira humming a tune. He recognized it as a lullaby that Shiori sung to him sometimes when he didn't want to sleep. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, confused as to why she was humming a lullaby.

She kept on peacefully coloring. He could see she was drawing a… rainbow, he guessed. At least that's what it looked liked.

Then, someone walked in. She was one of Minori's other daughters. She had black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes hidden behind glasses. Akira looked up.

"Kohaku-nee!" she exclaimed brightly, standing up.

"Hey, Akira," she said. "Is everything ok in here?"

"Yah!" Akira exclaimed, happily. She grinned. "Me and Shueeshee are coloring!"

"Really?" Kohaku said. She looked at Kurama's face. "It looks to me like _you_ did the coloring on his face."

"Yah! That too!" Akira said, grinning. She smiled. "Shueeshee's fun!"

"Yeah?" Kohaku asked. "Well, maybe Sakura and I should play with you…"

"No!" Akira said. "You guys too big. Saku-nee said so!"

Kohaku laughed. "Oh, don't listen to Saku-chan. She's just teasing you. Anyways, I better get back to the other room. You guys ok in here?"

Both children nodded. After Kohaku left, Akira said, "Shueeshee? What do you wanna do?"

He looked at her. "Why?" he asked, warily.

"Well, we did something I like. Now, we do something you like. Dad calls in um… what was it… uh… com… com…"

"Compromise?" Kurama asked.

"Yah! That's it!" Akira said. "So, what do you wanna do?"

"Well…" Kurama said. He felt like he should at least humor her for a little while. After all, they were stuck with each other for a couple more hours. "I don't know… I like to read and go to the garden to see the flowers Mom planted…"

"Well then, let's go see the flowers!" Akira said, getting up. She pulled Kurama to his feet and waited.

He sighed, part of him not wanting to take her to his sanctuary. But then, he would probably never see her again since Shiori mentioned that Minori was just visiting Japan. So, there would be no harm done.

He quietly led her out to the back. They walked out to the flower garden where all the flowers were waving in the breeze. It seemed as if they were greeting the two toddlers.

Akira gasped and said, "Wow! This is pretty Shueeshee!" She darted over to flowers and bowed at them in respect. "Hello flowers! You look very nice today!" She turned to Kurama. "Shueeshee! Come say hi to the flowers too!"

Kurama sighed mentally. How could she keep going like this? She didn't seem tired or anything. Part of him was a little annoyed, while the other part wanted to act like a child too, happy and carefree. Unfortunately, the annoyed part liked to smother the child side.

Akira, impatient with him, ran over to him. She grabbed his hand and began dragging him to the flowers. "Shueeshee! You need to say hi to the flowers too! If you don't they'll be sad!"

Kurama glared at her as she dragged him over to the flowers. Wonderful. She was telling him what to do. He greeted the flowers and then plopped down, closing his eyes and trying to tune out the rambunctious two-year-old.

Akira plopped next to him. She looked at the flowers, at Kurama, at the flowers, and back to Kurama. She repeated this for a little while, before seeing a butterfly.

"Mr. Butterfly!" she called, standing up and running after it. "Wait up!"

Kurama sighed, relieved. Leave her alone for long enough and she would find something else to do besides bother him. He smirked to himself as he stood up.

Just then, he felt something tackle him from behind. He realized it was Akira. Great…

"Got you!" she laughed. She let go. Then she ran, yelling, "You can't catch me, Shueeshee! You're too slow!"

Kurama's eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a small frown. So, she thought he was slow huh? She would see how slow he was when he caught her.

But that would be a waste of energy. He looked up at the tree and smiled. He would make her come to him. He swiftly climbed the tree.

Akira's laughter stopped, when she realized that Shueeshee wasn't chasing her. She looked around. Where was he?

"Shueeshee? Are you hiding?" she asked, confused. "Shueeshee?"

He waited patiently as she wandered toward the tree. It was just like when he had been a thief. He would wait for the unsuspecting victims to let their guard down. Then, he and his group would swoop in and steal the prize.

"Huh…" Akira said, plopping down. "I don' know what to do… Shueeshee is gone… Maybe a monster eated him…"

_Or maybe,_ Kurama thought to himself,_ he hiding in the tree, waiting for you to walk under him. _

Akira stood up again. This time tears were in her eyes. "I hope he didn't get eated… His momma's gonna be sad…" Two fat tears rolled down her little cheeks. "Shueeshee? Where are you?" she called. She walked slowly under the tree, when something tackled her.

Akira gave a little scream, which was silenced with Kurama's hand. She bit it, hard. He recoiled and she said, "You monster! Where's Shueeshee? You eated him didn't you!" She began hitting him with her tiny fists.

Kurama said, "Akira! Stop! It's Shuuichi!"

She stopped and looked. "Shueeshee!" She tackled him with a hug. "I thought you got eated!"

He rolled his eyes. Then, he squirmed like a little boy would. Instantly, she let go. "I'm fine!" he said as she stared up at him with her watery eyes.

"You sure you didn't get eated?" she asked.

"Yes silly," he said.

She smiled. "Good," she said. "Cause your momma would've been sad."

"Is everything all right?" a new voice asked. "We heard a scream."

Both children turned to see Minori and Shiori looking at their children worriedly.

"Momma!" Akira ran to her mother. "Shueeshee vanished and I thought he got eated by a monster!"

"But Shuuichi is right there," her mother said, confused.

Shiori sighed, "Shuuichi, did you climb the tree again?"

Kurama nodded. "Sorry Mother. We were playing "chase" and I climbed in the tree to hide."

"Shuuichi, you know it's dangerous to climb up there," Shiori scolded. "You could've been hurt." She smiled, "But I'm glad you're safe."

Kurama nodded. He felt a little bad for worrying Shiori. He looked at his feet, sad, like he knew he should.

"Why don't you both come and sit with us?" Minori asked as she picked up her daughter.

Shiori nodded and held out a hand for Kurama to take a hold of. He ran over and grabbed his mother's hand as they all went back inside.

They sat down in the dining room, where Shiori, Minori, Kohaku, and Sakura had been chatting. As both mothers and their young children sat, Sakura asked, "So was everything ok?"

Shiori nodded, "I'm afraid Shuuichi gave Akira a scare."

Kohaku turned to her mother's best friend, "Really? How so?"

Shiori explained as she ruffled her son's red hair, "Shuuichi likes to climb the cherry tree in our back yard. He climbed it and Akira didn't know where he went."

"Let me guess…" Sakura said, "Akira thought he got eaten by a monster." She shook her head.

"Hey," Kohaku said, defending her baby sister. "She thinks that only because she watched that movie on TV with you!"

"What movie?" Minori asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Um…" Sakura stuttered. "It was just a movie."

"No, it wasn't!" Kohaku argued. She turned to her mother, "It was this awful movie about these demons who came and massacred an entire town. So whenever someone vanished from the movie, you knew they were eaten. It was so violent and gory."

Both mothers' eyes widened. They both stared at Sakura, wide-eyed, and then, Minori proceeded to lose control.

"You watched _what_?" Minori asked, shocked. "You and I will have a talk when we get home, young lady."

Kurama looked at his mother and at Minori. He knew why that would bother both mothers. It would bother Minori because that was obviously not appropriate for any of her daughters. His mother was worried that someone would let her son watch that movie.

"Mom," he asked, pretending to look up to see his mother's face. "What's wrong?"

"Oh…" Shiori said, "Nothing dear." She smiled at him. "Everything is fine."

He nodded a little reluctant. He watched as his mother and Minori began to talk again. Minori was now telling his mother about how TV was making horrible movies too easy to watch. Shiori was smiling at her friend.

Kurama, not interested in the conversation, got up and walked out of the room. He walked over to the living room and sighed. He was bored again.

He sat and grabbed a book. He began reading, trying to get himself out of the state of boredom. He read for a little while when he felt a hand tap his shoulder.

"Shueeshee?" Akira asked, looking at him. "Why are you here alone?"

He shrugged. "I like being alone."

"Why?" Akira asked, looking at him confused.

He sighed, "It gives me time to think."

She looked at him, "Don't you ever get bored?"

"No… Not really…" he said.

"Tired?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Lonely?" Akira asked.

"Well… sometimes…" he admitted. He mentally face-palmed himself. _Why did I just tell her that?_

"Shueeshee… I don't think it's fun to be all alone…" Akira said. She sat done by him. "So, can I sit here?"

He looked at her. "Fine."

She nodded and bit her lip. Akira sat quietly for about a half-hour, which to Kurama was been a miracle.

Suddenly, he felt something on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Akira, sleeping on his shoulder. He stared._ What on Earth was she doing?_

She slept quietly. Kurama stared at her and then shook the shock off. He went back to reading while Akira slept on. He turned to watch her often wondering when she would wake up.  
Finally, he felt his young child body grow sleepy and his head drooped over his chest and he fell asleep too.

In the dining room an hour later…

"Our children have been really quiet for a long time," Minori said.

"Well, Shuuichi is always quiet. But, every now and then I do hear something," Shiori said, worried.

Both women walked in to see Akira's sleeping on Shuuichi's shoulder while his own head was drooped over his chest.

"Oh! How cute!" Shiori said.

"I have a camera," Minori said, leaving. She quickly walked back and took a picture. She looked at the time and said, "Well, I think I better go. I'll send you the picture!"

Shiori nodded and hugged her friend. "You take care of yourself. Ok?"

Minori nodded and picked her sleeping daughter up slowly, while Shiori gently picked up her sleeping son. Minori waved goodbye and drove off. She couldn't wait to have the film developed.

* * *

Ending Comments: Thank you for all the support! So anywho, please oh please review!


	18. MiniStory3

MangaMaid's Notes: Wow... The last and final MiniStory! Well, this is the last one. This one is about Mitsuko and Satoru, so you finally get to meet him a little! Yay! So we is now done with the MiniStories! ^^ I am really excited, because that means you see Part 2 next! Oh man! ^^ Anywho I give my thanks to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl and a BIG thank you to my editors demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori! I hope you guys enjoy this last one!

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_Dear Diary… Wow, it feels so weird to call you Diary. Hmm. Well, I shall come up with a name for you soon. Well, Mother gave you to me, because I have been having these strange dreams. I don't know why, but Mother says this will help me make sense of it all. So, I guess that's all I will leave it at that. Goodbye, Mitsuko._

Mitsuko sighed as she put down the ink and looked at the first entry in the little book. She stood up and walked out of her room. Before she left she caught a glance of herself in the pool of water. She was dressed in a white dress that symbolized her people. Her long hair was in a braid and her blue-violet eyes were staring back at her. She shook her head, then left her little hut of a house, and walked along the streets of her home.

She passed many people, nodding to them in greeting when her friend, Kiyomi ran up to her. "Mitsuko! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Mitsuko looked at her blonde friend. Her violet eyes were filled with excitement. She sighed and said, "Ok, Kiyomi. What has gotten you so excited?"

Kiyomi said, "Mitsuko, we've been chosen!"

"Chosen?" Mitsuko asked, perplexed.

"You know, chosen to go to Human World to see what flowers and other things we can find?" Kiyomi put her hands on her hips and said, "Do not tell me you forgot about it!"

"Um…" Mitsuko said, looking away nervous.

"Mitsuko! Come on! It's one of the biggest events during the year! We get picked and you forgot there was even a trip! Mitsu, if your head wasn't attached, I'm sure you'd set it somewhere and forget where you set it!"

"Kiyomi! Have a little faith, please! I just don't see what the big deal is about… It's just Human World…" Mitsuko said, shaking her head.

"I know!" Kiyomi said. "But, I've never seen Human World! It's an exciting adventure! Plus, living up above Demon World in the skies is boring!"

"Kiyomi…" Mitsuko said, shushing her friend as she looked around worriedly. "What if someone hears you! You know how the council will react! They could punish us with death!"

"Relax…" Kiyomi said, shaking her head. "No one really cares."

Mitsuko looked at everyone around them, who acted as if they had heard nothing. She shook her head. Then, she said, "Ok. So when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow!" Kiyomi said, happily. "Oh! Isn't this exciting? I think we're looking for something the humans call Amaryllis. It's supposed to be a flower. Oh um… What else did they say about the flower…?"

Mitsuko laughed. "Don't strain yourself, Kiyomi. They always repeat the information right before the trip, so it'll be fine."

Kiyomi bit her lip. "Yeah… I guess so." She then looked behind her. "Hey, isn't that Masato? What's he doing coming over here?"

Mitsuko turned to look at Masato. His turquoise hair was swaying as he walked over to Mitsuko and Kiyomi. When he approached, he bowed.

"Good afternoon ladies," he said.

Mitsuko sighed, "Ok, Masato, what do you want?"

"Nothing, Mitsuko!" he said. "Just thought I'd be polite! Sheesh! You'd think that being polite to women is a crime."

"I'm just teasing Masato," Mitsuko laughed.

"You're maddening," he said, "You know that?"

"So my brother tells me!" Mitsuko laughed, sticking out her tongue.

Kiyomi said, "Speaking of your brother, he asked me to meet him at the garden in a few minutes. I better go." She walked off.

Mitsuko sighed after her friend. She said, "Well, she seems happy. Wonder what Mitsuo is meeting her at the garden for…"

"Maybe he's going to give her his heart?" Masato asked.

"Maybe… He has been going on about her for a while," Mitsuko agreed. She turned to Masato. "I'm going to the fountain. You wanna come?"

"No…" Masato said. "I have to go home. See you Mitsuko."

"See you Masato," she said, waving. She then wandered to the fountain and looked at her reflection. She wondered what it felt like to have love. Her mother worried about her often as she had never shown any interest in any of the boys in their village. Mitsuko wondered if she would ever find it.

She looked up and knew that she should probably get home. She stood up, looking at the fountain one last time. Then she went home.

Later that night…

Mitsuko gasped as she sat up from her cloudy spot where she slept. She looked around, disturbed. The dream had seemed so real… and yet, it wasn't… She shuddered as the dream filled her head.

_Mitsuko had been surrounded by smells that reminded her of when she had left her cloud home with her father and a few family friends to Demon World. It smelled of death and decay which burned at her nose. She wrinkled it, when she realized that her eyes were closed._

_She opened her eyes and saw that saw was looking up to a dark sky. She propped herself up and saw huge piles of dead bodies, both human and demon oozing blood from fatal wounds. Children lay among the dead, parents trying to cover their bodies. Most of them had looks of horrors on their faces, but a few were smiling._

_Then, several hands had grabbed at her. They were pulling her down. She couldn't move. She couldn't even breathe…_

She sighed and walked over to her diary, recording the dream. She didn't feel good. She worried about the trip. It did not bode well with her. But, she knew that if she chickened out Kiyomi would be infuriated. She decided to go back to sleep and get some more rest.

The next morning…

Mitsuko ran up to the group who was getting ready to travel to Human World. She saw Kiyomi waving to her. She smiled and ran to her friend.

"Isn't this exciting?" Kiyomi said. "Just think! Seven full days of looking for flowers! This is going to be exciting! We get to look around Human World! Oh! I almost forgot! Mitsuko, I have some exciting news!"

"Well?" Mitsuko asked. "What is it?"

"Well, Mitsuo… he gave me his Heart!" Kiyomi squealed.

Mitsuko blinked. "Then that means…"

"Yes! We're going to get married!" she said. "I'm going to be your sister!"

Mitsuko smiled. "I'm really happy for you," she said. As she said so, she felt a twinge of jealously pull at her heartstrings. Why couldn't she find someone to love like that?

Kiyomi smiled at her when one of the council members, Iwao, stood up. He cleared his throat. He spoke in gravelly voice. "All right, everyone. The council has chosen all of you to go to Human World this year. You will be gone for seven days. No longer. That said, if any one gets separated, do not worry. The council will come to get you quickly. Now, as for the rules. Rule 1: Know where you are at all times. Rule 2: Get only what we came for. Nothing else. And the most important, Rule 3: No fraternizing with humans under any circumstance. Now, we are looking for the Amaryllis flower…" He began describing how it looked and such to everyone. Then after he had finished, he said, "All right, let's go!"

Iwao took them to the edge of the land. There was a sheer drop off. Below was Demon World. It seemed so far away.

"Everyone!" Iwao said. "Grab a partner. When you have your partner, jump! Use your energy to run on the air. I will lead you to the border between this world and Human World."

Kiyomi quickly grabbed onto Mitsuko's hand. They jumped soon after Iwao had and swiftly followed him. He led them through the border and into Human World. After he did so, he reminded everyone about the rules and then told them to split up.

Mitsuko walked off toward an area that was green. She walked quickly, even for a demon. She finally found Amaryllis. It was growing underneath a cherry tree. She was confused as to why it was growing there, but she walked over and began plucking some.

She then felt eyes on her. She felt grateful that energy apparitions looked quite similar to humans. As soon as she looked up, she gasped and dropped her flowers. Standing a little ways off, was a human boy.

The boy looked only a little older than her, though she knew he was much younger. He had brown hair and oceanic eyes. He approached until she could see him clearly, smiled, and bowed, respectfully. "Hello Miss."

"Um… Good evening," Mitsuko bowed her head like he had done. It felt a little awkward.

"You are not from around here," he said, smiling at her.

"You could tell?" she asked, looking down at herself. She thought she looked convincing enough to be a human. Where had she gone wrong?

He laughed, "Yes. We're the only village around here. It's at least a four day journey to anywhere else and you're obviously not from the town. I would have remembered a face as pretty as yours."

She blushed. "Um… thank you…"

"You're welcome…" he said, smiling. "My name is Satoru and you are?"

"Mitsuko…" she said, flushing.

"Mitsuko… That's a pretty name," he said. "So where are you from?"

"Oh… Somewhere far away. I'm just visiting for seven days," she said. She mentally slapped her forehead. She was breaking a rule.

"Oh… well," Satoru said, looking at her. "You looked like you were all alone. I work at an inn in the village and if you would like you could stay there."

"Uh thank you, but I- oh!" she said startled as she heard the sky growl. "Is the sky angry?"

Satoru laughed. "No… it's just going to rain. Speaking of which, dressed in that, you should get inside."

She shook her head. "I am fine. Thank you for your kind offer, but I am fine."

Satoru looked at her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes… Thank you for your concern, but I shall be fine."

He looked at her worriedly. "Are you positive?" he asked. She nodded and he said, "All right. It was nice meeting you, Mitsuko. Oh, here!" He pulled off the cloak he was wearing and handed it to her. "For the rain…"

She nodded and noticed that his clothes under the cloak were a bit frayed and a bit ragged. She looked up at him, "Won't you need it?"

He smiled slyly. "Nah! I'll stay inside. And a little rain doesn't bother me. Speaking of which, I better get back to my village." He waved a hand and said, "Farewell, Mitsuko."

She watched after him and then turned back to her flowers. As she picked them up, she looked at the dark cloth that the strange boy had left her. She looked up at the sky which was growing dark. She took the cloak and put it on.

It was a bit big as it wrapped around her small frame quite easily. She pulled on the hood and it fell to her mouth. She gave a surprised "oh" and pulled the hood a little back, so she could see.

Suddenly the rain began to fall and she blinked as she realized it wasn't like the warm rains of her home. This rain was freezing. She was glad she had the cloak. She hid under the tree in the cloak waiting for the rain to stop.

A sudden flash of electricity shone bright through the sky and the sky growled, loudly this time. She was frightened. She knew that electricity sometimes with her people's powers, making them much too strong and she couldn't do anything, lest risking the existence of her people.

A hand clasped on her shoulder. She looked up to see the boy, Satoru, looking at her. She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"My conscience wouldn't let me get away with leaving you alone. Come on," he said, pulling her up. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, shielding her from the rain. He led her to a small village. He then walked to one of the bigger buildings.

"Hey! Arata? You here?" Satoru asked.

"Well," a big, brawny man with grey hair said, walking from another room. "If it isn't my hardest worker, Satoru… and who is this?" He looked at Mitsuko.

"This is Mitsuko," Satoru said. "I found her all alone up by the cherry tree. She was caught in the rain without the place to stay. I thought I would bring her here."

Arata smiled. "Of course. Come, Miss Mitsuko, we have several open rooms since this isn't busy season yet. I'll have my wife take you to a room and help you dry off. Kame!" he called.

A kind looking woman with grey hair walked in. "What is it, Arata?"

"This girl was in the rain. Take her upstairs to a room and help dry her off," he said.

Kame nodded. "Come on dear," she said, leading Mitsuko upstairs. She pulled her into a nice room, took a towel, and handed it to her. "I doubt you want me to dry you off, so I'll let you dry yourself off."

Mitsuko nodded. "Thank you…" she said.

Kame smiled, "Come down stairs for supper when you're hungry sweetie." She closed the door and left.

Mitsuko nodded, but she was stunned. These humans weren't so bad. Why did her people hate them so much? She wasn't sure.

For the next six days, Mitsuko found herself stuck at the inn. She couldn't seem to tear herself from the kindness of Kame and Arata, who looked after her like her mother and father did. When she wasn't at the inn, Mitsuko was watching Satoru from a safe distance or asking him questions about his life. She was curious on why he had saved her from the rain storms.

Satoru didn't seem to mind her company. He also liked to tease her. When he did, she'd roll her eyes, tease him back, and both would laugh.

At the end of the six days, Mitsuko felt her heart tear into two. She knew she had to go home, but she didn't want to leave. But, even so, she found herself packing her flowers and getting ready to leave. When she was ready, she bowed to Arata and Kame, thanking them for all they had done.

"It's not a problem!" Arata said, smiling. "Just come back any time!" He wrapped his arm around Kame, who nodded, smiling at the young lady.

Mitsuko nodded and left. She walked on, looking for her new friend. She found him at the cherry tree, staring up at the pink petals.

"Satoru… Here you are…" she said, coming up to him. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I came to say goodbye…"

"Mitsuko…" he turned, caught off-guard. He looked at her sad. "You're leaving…"

"Yeah… people will come looking for me if I don't. I'm sorry. If I could stay, I would…" she said, sadly.

"Mitsuko," Satoru said, looking at her. "Will you come back to visit?"

"What?" she asked.

"Will you come back to visit?" he asked, staring at her. "You're a wonderful friend and I would be really sad if I never saw you again…" His face became embarrassed and sad.

"Satoru…" Mitsuko said, looking at his crestfallen face. "I don't know… I… I suppose I could try…"

"Would you?" he asked, looking up at her hopeful.

Mitsuko bit her lip. But, she nodded. She knew what she was doing was dangerous, but she couldn't disappoint Satoru, not after what he had done for her.

Satoru smiled at her. "Thank you. I'll see you, Mitsuko…" He turned and walked away to the village.

Mitsuko blushed a little bit, but she ran quickly back to the spot where they were to gather. She found Kiyomi, there, with some others looking for her.

"Where were you?" Kiyomi asked. "I looked for you and I couldn't find you!"

"Sorry. I got a little lost," Mitsuko lied.

"All right…" Kiyomi said, nodding.

That night, after they had returned, Mitsuko lay down on her bed. She thought about why the energy apparitions hated humans. Satoru, Arata, and Kame didn't seem so bad. She mulled these thoughts over as she dozed.

Mitsuko awoke, startled. She had had the same dream of the dead bodies. She shook it off, scared now. She walked to her window and stared at the moon, trying to make sense of these dreams. She waited, but no answer came.

For a few days, Mitsuko began planning on how to visit Satoru again. Finally after 2 weeks, she created a plan. There was a festival coming up and she could escape to Human World then. No one would miss her.

On the day of the festival, Mitsuko snuck away to the edge and traveled to Human World. When she reached Human World, she headed to the village to visit Satoru.

They had a wonderful day together. Satoru showed her to some places hidden off away from the village and she was surprised to learn so much. But as the sun began to set, she knew she had to leave. She made another promise, though, that she would visit again.

Time passed, Kiyomi married Mitsuo and without her best friend being around her all the time, these visits became more frequent and soon, Mitsuko couldn't seem to live without thinking about Satoru, which made her friends suspicious. The dream also became more frequent, but along with that dream came another. It was about a young woman with a Heart. She didn't understand what it meant but she was going to figure it out some day.

One night, after a visit to Satoru, Mitsuko was caught. Her very worst nightmare.

She was walking home after a visit to Satoru. He had shown her a waterfall today. She had been so excited, when he pointed out to her the rainbow that was falling from the waterfall. She smiled, caught up in the memory.

As she opened the door to her home, she saw her friends and family standing there. Their faces were grim. She looked at all them.

"Everyone? Hello…" Mitsuko said. "What's wrong?"

Her mother spoke, "Mitsuko, where were you today?"

"I… I… I was…" she stuttered.

"You were with the human boy you've been seeing, weren't you?" her father asked, his face sad and upset.

"What?" Mitsuko asked, caught off guard.

"I followed you," Emi said, looking at her feet. "And I saw you go to Human World to visit a human boy."

Mitsuko looked at all the grave faces of her friends and family. "Please…" she begged, "Please tell me that you didn't go to the council!"

Mitsuo said, "None of have, sister. But you know the law, why would you break it? That is stupidity of the highest degree!"

Mitsuko bit her lip. "I can't explain it. My heart just doesn't care anymore. I can't breathe without him. He's kind. Not at all like what the council portrays humans to be."

Everyone watched her. Then, Mitsuko's father cleared his throat. "So, you fell in love with this human?"

Mitsuko hung her head. "Yes…"

"Does he know what you are?" her father asked.

She shook her head. "No…"

Mitsuko's father pinched his nose. "Here is what I suggest. Tomorrow, you visit this boy. Tell him the truth… If he still accepts you, then we will not tell. If he doesn't then we will mention that a human found out about our people. Fair?"

Mitsuko nodded.

The next day in Human World…

"So…" Satoru said, confused as he walked up to the cherry tree. "What did you want to see me about Mitsuko?"

"Satoru!" she said, spinning around. She looked worriedly at his innocent face. Part of her didn't want to tell him, but she knew she had to. She took a deep breath. "Satoru… I really like you… You know that right?" she asked, looking up at him.

He smiled, "Of course I do. You wouldn't hang out with me otherwise."

She chuckled, "Um… I don't think that's what I meant…"

"Oh… You mean like as in like, like…?" he asked, flushing. "Like love?"

Mitsuko looked at her feet and nodded. She felt so embarrassed. "Yeah… And that's why I have to tell you something very important."

"Really?" he asked. "What is it?"

"I'm not who you think I am," Mitsuko said, looking down at her feet.

Satoru's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Mitsuko paused, looking up at Satoru and then back to her feet. "I'm not a human. I'm a form of demon called an energy apparition… I come from a place called Demon World or the Demon Plane."

"What?" Satoru asked, confused.

Mitsuko continued, "My people, the energy apparitions, like to study things from Human World. We come here for seven days ever year. When you first met me, I was gathering Amaryllis to take home."

"Is that why you were out under the cherry tree all alone?" Satoru asked.

She nodded.

"Then why are you telling me this now?" he asked, confused.

"There are three rules when we go to Human World. 1: Know where you are at all times. 2: Get only what you came for. And 3: No fraternizing with humans under any circumstance. My people do not like humans and have forbidden any of us to converse or even be near them. I am telling you this because, I cannot stay away from you. I can hardly breathe when I am not around you. I feel so empty." She then looked at her feet. "I understand if you do not feel the same about me or if you despise me now that I told you what I am. After all, both of our people seem to agree that humans and demons should not coexist."

She turned away, expecting to hear him step away. What she didn't expect was his big arms to wrap around her.

He breathed in her ear, "Well, lucky for you… I love you too."

Mitsuko felt tears well up in her eyes. She turned around in his arms and hugged him tightly. She let her tears leak all over his shirt.

He ruffled her hair, "Hey, no crying now…"

She nodded, looking up at him. He gently bent down and kissed her tears off her cheeks. Then, he kissed her.

To Mitsuko it felt like heaven. She felt her heart leap into her throat. She placed her hands on his chest. He gently held her arms, pulling her to him.

When they separated, Satoru hugged her. Mitsuko sighed. Then she saw the sun setting.

"I have to go…" she said, her heart aching.

Satoru nodded reluctantly. He let her go.

"Meet me here in a couple of days…" she said. "I have something to give you." With that, she walked back, her heart fluttering.

When she returned home, she smiled at her parents when she entered and nodded. They both breathed a sigh of relief. She looked out at the moon and looked up at it. She made her decision.

Her hand glowed with a white energy and she stabbed it into her chest. She nearly screamed as her heart began to twist and turn inside of her. It hurt like nothing she had ever experienced before.

She felt her heart shrink and expand, trying to beat as her energy twisted it up. Her insides felt like they were on fire. But now that she had started she couldn't stop.

Finally, she felt the icy coldness that signified her heart was hardening into a Heart. She breathed a sigh of relief as it cooled, numbing the fiery touch that had burned her insides. Then, all feeling stopped.

She pulled her hand out. Then her chest began to heal up and she felt something rise in her throat. She gagged as the item made its way out. When she coughed it out, she was surprised at what she saw.

It was a heart shaped outline, with spikes poking out on the edges, both outer and inner. The two bottom points had lengthened, lost their spikes, and braided themselves together for about an inch, then stopped. Also, at the start at the Heart's curve on the top, half way from the curve to the braid, and halfway from the start of the braid and end of it, points had lengthened to the same length as the braid. They were all connected to each other. It glowed a beautiful pearl color.

Mitsuko smiled and went to grab a string. Then she threaded it through a tiny hole in the outline and tied it together. She smiled at her creation.

"I hope Satoru will want it…" she said. She softly walked to her bed and crashed upon it.

_Mitsuko was by the cherry tree. She was waiting for Satoru. As she saw him approach, she ran to him._

_He embraced her tightly. She buried her head in his chest when she felt something wet. She stepped back and touched her face. Her hand was red._

_She looked at Satoru and saw a wound in his chest. He looked at it startled. Then, he fell down, dead._

"_Satoru? Satoru? SATORU?" she screamed. As she did so, she felt something sharp hit her neck. She touched it and saw blood was flowing from it._

Mitsuko sat up, breathing hard. She touched her neck. There was no blood. She breathed easy and decided to go back to sleep. Hopefully the dream was just that, a dream and nothing more.

A couple of days later…

Mitsuko waited by the big cherry tree. She looked at the Heart in her hand. She worried. What if he didn't like it? What he thought it looked weird? Or what if it wasn't manly enough for him to wear? She bit her lip. _No, Satoru wouldn't do that, _she reminded herself, _he loves me. So I don't he would hurt my feelings_.

_But what if he does?_ A small voice inside her asked. _What if he hates it? What if he doesn't want it? What will you do then Mitsuko?_

_Well, he will want it. At least… I hope he will. Maybe if I explain that I made it from my heart…_

The small voice replied, _He'll be disgusted. I mean who wouldn't be? It's made from a living beating heart._

_Oh, why don't you shut up!_ She thought viciously at the little voice in her head. It really was getting annoying. She frowned until she heard a voice that made her day.

"Mitsuko!" Satoru called.

Mitsuko smiled as she saw Satoru waiting for her underneath the cherry tree. "Satoru!" she cried, running to his open arms.

He laughed and kissed her cheek, "Hello little lady."

"Little? Do I need to tell you I am a few hundred years older than you?"

His eyes widened, "Really? Didn't know that…" He chuckled at her blush and brushed noses with her. "Ok… but I am bigger than you. Therefore, you are little."

She hugged him tightly and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She laid her head on his chest, listening to the beating of his heart. She sighed softly.

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "So, what is it you have to give me?" he asked.

"Oh!" she stepped back and said, "When one of my race truly loves someone, they give them their Heart. Their Heart is made from their real heart into a necklace. I… uh… well, I made my Heart for you." She pulled out the necklace and showed it to him. "Um… I was wondering if you wanted it…"

Satoru smiled. He kissed her forehead. "Mitsuko…" he breathed. "You made this… for me?"

She nodded. She watched his face.

He grinned, "Of course I want it. I'll always wear it Mitsuko."

"You will?" Mitsuko asked, looking up.

"Of course," he said. He kissed her. They stayed like that for several minutes until…

"Now!" a voice cried.

Several people surrounded them. Mitsuko looked to realize they were people from her village. The guard of the council. She gasped, "No!"

They came at them, ripping them apart. Mitsuko reached for Satoru's hand and grabbed it, briefly. But the strength of the guard was too strong. She lost her grip.

"No! Satoru! SATORU!" she screamed as she saw one of the guards stab him in the back through the heart as he tried to fend off another guard.

He fell, coughing up blood. He was losing a lot of blood. The guards began to close around him.

Mitsuko pulled herself away from the people who were restraining her. She broke through and put up a shield as she held Satoru's broken body to hers. "Satoru? Satoru?" she asked, tears falling down her face.

He lifted a hand to her cheek. "Mitsuko, I… I love…" he tried to speak.

"Shh… Don't speak… I know…" she said, holding his hand to her cheek.

He smiled at her and pushed himself up to kiss her one last time. Then, he fell, dead.

"Satoru? No… No, no, no, no, NO!" she wailed. The guards reached through the shield and pulled her up. She felt her heartbreak into two as she was pulled away and Satoru's body vanished from sight.

But as she was pulled, she saw something. The cherry tree had begun to lose its petals, rapidly. It seemed as if it was crying too.

* * *

Ending Comments: Well... that was the last MiniStory... I feel a bit sad... Probably cause I just killed off a character that I liked... And even part of me is yelling at me for doing that... But, if this didn't happen... Well, there would be no story... Anyway, you know that reviews make me a little bit more cheerful... So, some would be nice. Please? Just hit that nice button down there and we'll both be happy.


	19. Chapter 16

Manga Maid's Notes: Well, it's the 1st birthday of Heart's Fate! Yay! And with it comes Chapter 16, the 1st chapter of Part 2! Yes! ^^ Wow... I can't believe I did it! 4 chappies in 3 days! A miracle! Now this one can sleep and recuperate from the nasty summer cold! Haha! Anyways thanks to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, ,Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl. And as always thanks to my two editors, demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori! Thank you all for supporting me!

P.S. I do NOT own YYH or Skillet or Skillet's songs in any way shape or form!

* * *

Kumori sighed as she leaned against Hiei's tree in Genkai's yard. She was thinking about three years ago, when she, Hikari, and Akira failed to make it in time to say goodbye to the boys. Her heart ached and she inhaled deeply, taking in the faint scent of Hiei. She took great comfort in it and leaned against the tree, missing the demon from which the scent came.

She looked down seeing her now ankle-length hair falling like a silver waterfall over the branch in the little braids that came from her scalp, neatly arranging all of the silver mass. Her red streak had grown longer too, falling in her face often. She smiled and chuckled, thinking about how the three boys would react to seeing her with long hair.

She suddenly stood up, realizing that it was about 2 A.M. and she needed to get home before Akira got up. She took one last whiff and gently bolted off.

...

An alarm clock went off at 2 A.M. A hand reached from a bed and slammed on it. The owner of the hand, Akira, who was now 18 as today was her birthday, decided she wanted some more sleep. She rolled over and sighed. She had been having a pleasant dream where Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama were permanently back and everyone was happy again.

Akira sighed sadly, ran a hand through her now waist length hair, and looked at the picture she had on her bedside table. Kurama had graduated valedictorian of his class a couple years back. Every one of his friends had been invited by Shiori, but as Yusuke was visiting Demon World at that time and Hiei was still living there and Kurama had to back, it was a short-lived sighting. Everyone had been up congratulating him that Akira, Kumori, and Hikari had to leave before they could even say hello.

Akira looked away. Maybe it was better that way. After all, she still hadn't told him and no doubt she would have tried to tell him. But, in front of all those people, well, it wasn't going to happen.

Akira closed her eyes. 18. She was 18 years old. Old enough to be an adult in the U.S.A. She smiled slightly as she remembered what Sakura said last night when she was still 17.

"_You know, when you wake up tomorrow, look back on it all… All 18 years. Then, you need to decide whether you regret your life or not. If you do, then change what you regret. If not, don't change a thing."_

Akira thought about all 18 years. Did she regret her life? There was the time her father died, but she couldn't bring him back. Also, she regretted not telling about the abuse she had been going through a few years back, but everyone had found out about it, so it was already fixed. Was there anything else?

Yes. Yes, there was. Not telling Kurama how she felt. But how could she fix that? She wasn't sure.

She got up to her CD player and hit play, marking a certain track, and putting it on a circle so it would keep playing. She went back to bed. Her eyes drooped as sleep regained its hold on her. She decided that she'd figure out how to solve her problem when she woke up again.

...

Hikari was next door, crying. She was leaning against her wall as sobs racked her body. She was lonely. And she hated it.

Ever since Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke had left, Kumori had been vanishing more often. She never liked staying in the house very much anymore. It hurt too much. And Akira? Although she had tried her hardest to be happy, Hikari could still see that sadness that never left Akira's eyes.

She cried harder. She missed those boys. Yusuke with his knucklehead way of cheering her up, Kurama who had always made sure she hadn't done anything life-threatening, and Hiei the anti-social demon who she had always wanted to make smile.

She wished they were here. They'd cheer everyone up quick in no time. But she was alone. Alone and broken.

...

"Akane-nee?" 5-year-old Yuki asked as he, with Yuri, walked in their older sister's room at 4 in the morning.

Akane instantly woke up. "Uh?" She looked around and when she saw her baby sister and brother asked, "Guys? What are you doing up this early?"

"We needed to get up before Akira! Remember?" Yuki said, looking up at his sister.

"Mmm? Oh! Of course," Akira said, nodding. She was already dozing, but she pulled back the covers and got out of bed. She looked around. "Where are the triplets?"

"With Mom, Sakura, and Kohaku making breakfast," Yuri said. "But we have to get Kumori and Hikari up to get her up!"

"Mmm? Oh, right," Akane replied sleepily. She yawned. "I'll get Kumori. You go get Hikari."

They nodded and darted to get Hikari. Akane walked slowly to Kumori's room, to hear soft music playing from her room. She thought it was Evanescence or Within Temptation. She didn't understand why, but Kumori had basically turned off to the world about three years ago and bands like that had become her source of comfort. It was so hard to get her involved with the world, nowadays.

"Kumori?" Akane asked, gently knocking on the door.

The door opened and a tired-looking Kumori peeked out at her. "What is it, Akane?" she asked, tiredly. She looked sleep-deprived and her eyes were distant.

"Time to get up. We have to get up before Akira, remember?" Akane asked.

Kumori nodded, following the younger girl downstairs. Akane remembered her mom worrying about Kumori's state of being, mentioning that she hadn't seen Kumori act like that since she had moved to Oregon. Akane wondered why.

Everyone was downstairs when they arrived. Minori smiled at Kumori and Akane as they walked in. Breakfast was done and Minori said, "Ok! It's 4:30. Should we let Akira sleep in or should we get her up?"

Kumori spoke, her voice a little detached, "Akira wakes up at 4:30, Mrs. Wagerman. Let her sleep in and she might murder you for letting her sleep so late."

Minori chuckled, "All right. Who wants to get her up?"

Hikari, Kumori, and all younger siblings raised their hands. Minori stared at all the volunteers.

"Well, how about we let Hikari and Kumori do it?" Minori said, looking at her children. They all nodded, a little disappointed, but they cheered up when Minori suggested that they give Akira surprise birthday hugs when she came down.

As they walked up to Akira's room, Hikari said, "When'd you get home last night, Kumori? I know you went somewhere after that demon attack. Where'd you go?"

Kumori said, quietly, "I don't think it really matters or is any of your business, Hikari…"

"Kumori!" Hikari said, looking at her friend. "Please don't do this! Akira may be able to handle you shutting us out, but I… I can't! Ever since Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei left, you and Akira changed! We haven't ever gone to visit Yusuke at his new ramen shop and we didn't even go say hi to Kurama when he graduated! You don't even visit with Kuwabara or Keiko anymore and Akira rarely does! We only visit Yukina and Genkai regularly now and we have to work for Koenma because of what you and Akira did a couple of years ago and-!"

Kumori flinched a little at the mention of Hiei. She then cut her off "Hikari, not now…"

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because," Kumori said, "One: Someone might hear you, and Two: You might wake up Akira and I doubt she feels any better about it than I do."

Hikari bit her lip. "I don't like this. You shut everyone out and Akira tries to visit, but it's getting harder for her and-"

"Hikari!" Kumori suddenly snapped. "Stop it. What Akira and I do are what Akira and I do. If we chose to visit people or not, that's what we chose. Now, let's get off this subject and wake up Akira."

Hikari nodded, sadly. Then, she said, "I'm sorry. I just worry about you and Akira."

"Don't Hikari… We're both adults now…"

"In the U.S.," Hikari said, looking at Kumori.

"In the U.S.," Kumori agreed. Then, she said, "But we can still make out own decisions. We're not little, naïve kids who need to be worried about, Hikari."

"I know. But, even though I am younger than both of you, I can see that you seem to be hurting yourselves."

Kumori sighed, "Whatever."

As they were about to knock on the door, they heard music coming from Akira's room. That meant she might be up. That wouldn't be good. They heard the song begin again.

_Despite the lies that you're making,_

_Your love is mine for the taking,_

_My love is just waiting,_

_To turn your tears to roses._

"What music is that?" Hikari asked. "It sounds familiar."

"It is," Kumori said, listening quietly. "Oh, we're ok. That's Whispers in the Dark by Skillet. You know… the music she uses to calm down and help her sleep."

They opened the door to her room. Not much had changed in her room since they had moved in, except the fact there were new pictures along with the old ones and there was a bō staff next to the bed. They could see a lump in Akira's bed that appeared to be Akira.

Kumori walked in and noticed Mitsuko's diary on the nightstand. "Looks like Akira was up late studying Mitsuko's diary again." She shook her head and sighed.

Hikari whispered, "We should probably wake her up."

Kumori nodded. She crept over and turned off the music. Then, they crept over and tackled the sleeping lump.

Akira woke with a start. Thinking she was being attacked, she grabbed Hikari's arm and threw her as hard as she could. Hikari, luckily, shifted her weight and landed safely on the floor, chuckling.

Akira, still unaware of what was going on, launched her herself off the bed and grabbed her staff. She then held it up in a defensive position. When she looked at who had "attacked" her, she sighed and stood up.

"Guys, when I want a wakeup call like that, I will tell you," she said, standing up.

"Just making sure that you're prepared for any attack…" Kumori said, standing from her crouch.

Hikari stood as well, giggling, "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"How about not?" Akira asked, giving a small smile. "I really don't like being 'attacked'."

"Oh… Ok!" Hikari said. "Oh, right! I almost forgot! Happy 18th birthday Akira!"

Kumori nodded. "Yeah… Happy birthday Akira."

"Oh? Thanks!"Akira smiled. Then, her smile faded as she looked out her window. She murmured, "Right… 18…" Her eyes turned a little dull.

"Akira?" Hikari asked. "Something wrong?"

"Hmm?" Akira asked, looking at her friend. "Ah, no… Just thinking."

Hikari smiled, but she knew her friend was lying. "Oh… ok… So, we'd better get downstairs."

Akira nodded, walking down with her two friends downstairs. As she did so, she was greeted by her younger siblings screaming out "Happy Birthday" and tackling her with hugs. She smiled, hugging each of her siblings.

"Hey look," Sakura said, walking up to her sister. "It's birthday girl!" She hugged her sister tightly.

After she was released, Kohaku walked up and gave her sister a hug. "Happy birthday, Akira."

Her mother than came up for a hug. As she hugged her, she whispered to her daughter, "Happy birthday, sweetie." She kissed her cheek.

Akira smiled and then looked at the table which was full of breakfast. "Wow…" she said. "Who helped make all this?"

"Mom, Kohaku, Sakura, and the triplets," Akane answered.

"But Yuki, Akane, and me got everyone up!" Yuri piped up.

"Did you now?" Akira asked, smiling at her baby sister. She nodded, rapidly.

"Well, let's not let it get cold!" Minori said.

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Let's eat!"

As they ate, Akira looked at everyone one of her family members and thought of the changes that had occurred. Her mother, although her appearance hadn't altered much, had worked harder to be at home more. It was nice to be able to come home after school and have a mom there.

Kohaku had done away with her bun. She now kept it in a nice ponytail. She had gone back to school and gotten a better job. She also was having a steady relationship with a boyfriend which had made her more lively and less of a workaholic.

Sakura had changed drastically. Minori had helped her into an Alcoholics Anonymous program to help her with her problem. It had been 2 years since she had had a drink. She had also cut off her hair, which now hung at the shoulders, to symbolize the shedding of her old self.

Akane was still Akira's closest sister. After everything had come into the open, the sisters were still quite close. Akane had grown into a perceptive little girl, but she loved to draw still. She often drew portraits now. Her messy black hair often fell into her eyes, but she liked it that way.

Ryuu was now a full-blown trouble maker. He loved to play pranks. Especially on Kumori, which to led fights between both of them.

Sango was a tomboy. She hated anything pink, frilly, flowery, or girly. She had even cut her hair, but it was still long enough to be kept in a short ponytail. She often picked fights with neighbor boys and usually won them too.

Tsubaki was the opposite of her triplet sister. Whatever Sango hated, Tsubaki liked. But Tsubaki loved doing hair. She kept her hair long so it could be done in different styles, but she always insisted on playing with someone's hair. She had even admitted to wanting to be a hairstylist.

Yuri was a chatterer. She loved to talk to anyone about anything. She kept her short hair in two pigtails and she often got attention by talking to anyone. She seemed to enjoy the spotlight.

Yuki, however, was her opposite. His hair had miraculously lightened to be the same brown as Akira's and their father's. He was a quiet child, who didn't really get along with his older brother. In fact, it seemed that they despised each other.

After breakfast, Minori asked, "So, Akira… Is there anything you want to do today?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah… but I need to do it by myself. Don't worry it won't take that long… It's just something I need to do alone."

Minori nodded. "All right."

Yuri asked, "But you'll be home for lunch right?"

Akira nodded. "Yes… I'm going to leave in a few minutes after I get dressed. I am planning on taking an early train. So, I am probably going to be home for lunch."

Minori nodded. All her siblings eyed Akira a little confused. They wondered what she had to do by herself. But Kumori and Hikari had a feeling they knew what she was going to do.

Kumori said, "Well, I have an errand to run to and I need to catch a train. Mind if I go along for a little while?"

Akira shook her head. Minori said, "No, in not at all Kumori."

After Akira and Kumori had gotten dressed, they left for the train station. As they sat waiting for the train, Akira looked up at the pavilion that covered them and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Kumori looked at her.

"Say, Akira… What do you want to do after today?" Kumori asked.

"Oh, I don't know…" Akira said. "I never really thought about it… So…" She trailed off and both were silent for a little while and Akira went back to leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Then, Kumori broke it.

"Hey," Kumori said.  
Akira opened her eyes, looked back at her longtime friend, and smiled. "Hey yourself, Kumori."  
Kumori smiled softly, "How long has it been?"  
Akira looked confused. "Hmm?"  
"How long has it been since we've relaxed like this?" Kumori clarified. "You know, when you and I have just sat wondering what to do next with our lives?"  
Akira laughed, "I don't know. Hmm, I suppose the last we just sat was on the day before you left. You know, in Oregon? We just sat wondering how we would survive without each other around… It's funny. It now seems like a past life when I think about the time before I knew about Spirit World and Demon World."  
"Wow…" Kumori said, looking up at the sky, "Time flies, doesn't it?"  
"Yeah. Yet, it feels like it was so long ago, but my brain reminds me it was only about 3 or 4 years ago…"  
"Hn…" Kumori said. "We never get much time to be quiet together."

"Well, with Hikari's hyper energy and demons wanting the Heart, I don't think a moment's peace will be found for a while."

Kumori chuckled. "I guess you're right…"

"It seems like everything has changed and maybe some things have…" Akira murmured. "But, I guess the truth is we changed."

Kumori nodded. "Hn. Well, you're not the same girl from when you first came here."

Akira chuckled. "Neither are you. Just promise me one thing, Kumori…"

"What?" Kumori asked, furrowing her brow.

"That we will always be friends," Akira said. She turned to her friend, "Promise?"

Kumori smirked and shook her head. "I promise."

"Good."

Just then, the train rolled up. Both girls stood and walked in. They were silent as they rode. Akira was let off at an earlier stop, when Kumori realized that her guess was correct. Akira was going to visit her father's grave.

Kumori stood on the train as it rolled on. Finally, it let her off and she ran off. She finally stopped at Genkai's temple. She walked up the staircase and saw Yukina walking out.

Yukina saw her coming up. "Kumori!" she waved.

Kumori waved, smiling at the ice apparition. "Yukina, hey…"

"Hey! But, wait… I thought you were going to stay at home today, since it's Akira's birthday…" Yukina said, confused.

"Ah," Kumori said. "Akira went to her father's grave for a little while. She's wanted to be alone, so I thought I'd come here."

Yukina smiled. "Genkai's still asleep. I just thought I'd let her sleep and I'd go say hi to the birds. But if you're here…"

Kumori shook her head. "No, Yukina. It's fine. Don't change your plans because of me. I'm just going to probably hang out in the tree. You know…"

Yukina nodded. "Ok…" She then wandered off to another part of the temple while Kumori went to the back of the temple.

Kumori hopped up into the tree. She sat quietly, thinking to herself. She watched the sun rise higher. She guessed that Akira had probably gone back by now as the sun rose to what would be noon. She closed her eyes, sighing.

She laid there for a little while, until she heard someone speak. What she heard shocked her.

"Hn. What are you doing up there, onna?"

Kumori jolted up, like she had been shocked. She looked down and saw the one person who she had wondered and worried about for three years. There, on the ground, stood Hiei.

She jumped down quickly and walked up to Hiei. "Hiei?" she asked, staring at the demon, shocked. "Wha-? Are you really here?"

He stared at her, eyes narrowed. He scowled at her. "Hn."

She smiled as she caught the familiar scent. "I can't believe it… You're here." She stared up at him. "You grew… Well, crap, I grew and I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't so short. But you grew too." She shook her head. "I should've known that."

Hiei looked at her. His eyes were watchful, looking at her. He finally said, "Hn. You grew your hair out."

Kumori blinked. Then, she realized what he was talking about. She nodded and said, "Yeah… I never did get around to cutting it…" She looked at her feet. Just then, she remembered that she had to get back. "Crap! What time is it?"

She looked up at the sky. The sun was still in the sky, but she knew she would get in trouble if she didn't get back soon.

She said, "Sorry, I have to go!" She turned, changing into her half-demon appearance and darted off. As she did, she caught Hiei off guard a little. She had become fast.

At the Wagerman house…

Akira sat in the back in a blue dress. Tsubaki, Akane, Hikari, and Yuri were weaving Forget-Me-Nots into her hair. She had her eyes closed as each girl braided a flower into her hair. Suddenly a sound of running towards her opened her eyes.

She opened them to see Kumori in front of her. What surprised her was Kumori was grinning from ear to ear. She blinked. "Kumori? What's going on?"

Kumori said, "Guess."

"Did you have sweet snow?" Akira asked.

"No. But that's a good idea!" Kumori said, still grinning.

"Did you do something?" Hikari asked. Her eyes widened, "You didn't kill Ryuu did you?"

Kumori shook her head. "No!"

"Then what?" Akira and Hikari asked.

Kumori grinned. "You have to guess!"

Akira frowned, thinking. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that you say Hiei or something like that."

Kumori nodded, rapidly.

Hikari nodded. "Oh, ok. Wait…" Her eyes widened. "What? But I thought he was…"

Kumori shook her head. "Nope! He's here!"

Akane asked, "Who's Hiei?"

"A friend of ours," Akira said, to her little sister. She blinked. "Are you certain it was him?"

Kumori nodded. "Uh-huh."

Akira sighed and then, said, "Um… Kumori…"

"Hmm?" Kumori asked.

"I need to tell you something…" Akira said, reluctant.

"What? What happened?" Kumori asked, eyes narrowing.

"Well, my mom kind of invited some people over tonight because of an idea that Hikari here…" Akira said, nudging Hikari with her shoulder. "Put into her head…"

"We're done!" Tsubaki said.

"Ok…" Akira said, "Why don't you go see if Mom has made the cake. Maybe she'll let you guys lick the bowl."

The young girls all rushed inside. Akira grabbed Hikari, so she couldn't make her getaway. Then she forced her to sit.

"So, what idea did you put into her head, wolf-girl?" Kumori asked, warily, glaring at Hikari.

"Well, my mom invited the Hatanakas and Kohaku's boyfriend for dinner, but later, after they leave, Hikari persuaded my mom to let her to invite Kuwabara, Shizuru, Keiko, Yukina, and I think she even invited Yusuke, are coming over…" Akira said, face-palming in her hand. "And she's leaving us to do whatever by taking Sakura and the kids over to Tsubaki's new apartment to help her out…"

"Hikari! You invited Kuwabaka and the biggest pervert I know besides Akira's cousin over here?" she asked, wide-eyed. "With no supervision?"

"Yeah! It was a great idea! We'll see everyone again!" Hikari said, smiling with energy.

"She got my mom to think that we can handle ourselves…" Akira said. She glared at Hikari, "Although, she didn't warn my mother about their behavior…"

"Wait…" Kumori said. She whispered, "Is Kurama coming?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so…" Akira said. "I think that Mom tried to invite him over to the dinner, but I think Shiori said something about him being busy today…"

"Yeah…" Hikari said. "He's got apparently something he's working on for his job at his stepdad's. I also invited him, but he said he would see." She sighed, "If I had known Hiei was here, I would've told him to come to."

Kumori said, "I doubt he would've come. But, Yukina might have you covered. She might invite him if he stays. She might feel bad that he's left out. He might come then."

Hikari nodded. "Good point…"

Akira stood up. "Well, that's good. Anyways, I know that if I don't put in the sapphire earrings Kohaku bought, I'm gonna get it."

Kumori glared, "I remember last year when I had to be an October maiden since I was 18."

Hikari laughed, "Oh yeah! I remember that! That was funny! Oh! Akira, where did that tradition start?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Akira said. "I think Dad put the idea out there to have each kid wear their birth month's color, birthstone, and flower out there… But I'm not sure… Maybe it started because Sakura and Kohaku decided that they wanted to do it…" She turned to Kumori, "I still am sorry about that, by the way."

"Meh… I guess it wasn't that bad…" Kumori said, shrugging. "But I still am trying to find those pictures your mom to burn them…"

Akira sweat-dropped. "My mom is sneaky. She hid them probably somewhere we'll never find them, not matter how hard we look."

Hikari giggled. Kumori rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Akira said, "All right then! I better get inside and put those in. Anyways, you guys better get ready. Mom wants you to wear a dress remember?"

Kumori grumbled, "Sometimes, I want to kill your mother."

"I'd actually like it better if you didn't do that…" Akira said, smiling at her friend. "Besides, I'm the one that asked for just a nice dinner with everyone. If anything you should be plotting to kill me."

"Hn…" Kumori said, shrugging as she walked upstairs and into her room. She closed the door.

Hikari laughed. "Man, I wonder if your mom will try to take a picture of her in a dress again today."

"I hope not…" Akira said. She sweat-dropped and said, "Then Kumori may really try to kill her…"

Hikari thought about it. She turned pale. "Yeah… You're right. Not a good thing. Nope…"

Akira smiled at Hikari, who went to her room, and then she walked into her room. She opened the box that held a pair of sapphire heart shaped earrings.

She put them in her ears and looked at herself in the mirror. Both were straight. She walked out; glad she didn't have to change into a different dress. She walked down to see her mother not dressed, while all her kids were dressed in dresses and nice clothes.

"Mom?" Akira asked, tilting her head. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"Oh, Kohaku and Sakura are getting ready because Satoshi called and he's coming over a little early," Minori said. "Once one of them comes down, I'll get ready."

As soon as she said that, Sakura walked down in a scarlet dress. "Kohaku'll be down in a moment. Go get ready, Mom. I can watch the little monsters."

Minori rushed upstairs. Then, as she shot up, Hikari walked down. She was dressed in a light blue dress. She looked at Akira and Sakura. "Something wrong?"

As they were about to answer, the doorbell rang. Akira went to go get it. At the door was Satoshi.

Satoshi was a 27-year-old sports columnist who wrote for the paper. He had black hair and dark eyes. He was very nice and good with kids.

"Hey Akira!" he said, hugging her. "Wow! You look grown up. Let me guess. It's your birthday?"

She nodded. "Of course Satoshi! You know that."

He laughed, "Well that would explain this." He pulled out a tiny almost flat package. "You can open it now if you like."

Akira opened the package. It was a CD. She looked at it.

"I asked your family and your two friends all of your favorite songs," he said. "I had a friend put them all on there."

"Oh, wow!" she said, giving him a hug. "Thanks Satoshi!"

"You are welcome, young lady," he said. "Now, where is your lovely sister?"

"Do you mean me?" Kohaku asked, as she walked into the hall.

Akira rolled her eyes and slipped away. She then, walked into the living room. Kumori was sitting next to Hikari, dressed in a black dress. She did not look happy.

Akira sat by her friends, chatting with them. Soon, Kohaku and Satoshi came in, walking hand in hand and sitting together. Finally, Minori came downstairs. As she sat, everyone began to chat, waiting for the Hatanakas to make it.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Minori got up to get it. Everyone could here part of the conversation being held.

Then Minori called out, "Akira! Come on out and say hello!"

Akira got up. Kumori, Hikari, and Akane instantly got up with her. As she walked in, she looked at the faces. But one face surprised hers and she stared.

Kurama smiled at her, "Hello Akira. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

* * *

Ending Comments: Yes! Haha! I brought back Hiei and Kurama into the girls' lives! What now, you ask? Well, you'll have to wait for the next chappie. Don't worry though, I plan to update within the month! This is why we all love Summer Break! So as I have asked you before... REVIEW PLEASE!


	20. Chapter 17

MangaMaid's Notes: Hey everyone! Well, I was planning on posting this last month. But, due to brain blocks and technical difficulties, it was a little late. However I was surprised by all the responses. We have reached over 100 reviews! YAY! Thank you all for your wonderful support! I love ya all! ^^ Hugs to all of you! So here my thanks goes to: Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, Akari Tsubasa, Athena of wisdom, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , MarieAntonia, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91 Wow! Glomps for you all! Also, we must not forget my wonderful editors demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori! Thank you all! And now, on with the story!

P.S. The song Kumori sings is Hand of Sorrow by Within Temptation! Just thought you guys should know that!

* * *

Akira blinked. She looked at her friend who she had missed for three years. She felt like it was some dream, but, there he was. She smiled.

"Shuuichi!" she said, "It's been too long!" She turned to his family. "Thank you all for coming!"

Akane shyly smiled up at red-headed boy who she had not seen in the house for three years. She had felt her sister's mood change as soon as she saw Shuuichi. It was a good change.

Kumori walked up to Kurama and slugged him in the arm. "Fox!" she said, annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

He chuckled. "It's good to see you too, Kumori."

Hikari waved brightly at him. "Shuuichi! You came! I thought you said you had work…"

Hatanaka nodded, "He finished it all today. You wouldn't believe how helpful he is in the business!"

Minori nodded. "Well, perhaps we should chat over dinner. I think my other kids are hungry."

As they walked in, all the kids lit up as soon as they saw their favorite red-head. They all grinned too, noticing the happier look on their sister's face.

Kohaku stood up. She said, "Well, if it isn't the Hatanakas! Glad you could make it! This is Satoshi, my boyfriend." Satoshi waved.

Sakura chuckled. She came over and leaned on Akira. "So! I guess this red-head I've never seen before is the Shuuichi you're always talking about huh?"

Akira looked at her sister, cheeks flaring from surprise. "I do not!" she denied, glaring at her older sister.

"I'm just kidding, Akira!" Sakura said, chuckling. "Sheesh! I can't tease you now that you're 18? You're no fun!" She stuck her tongue out at her younger sister.

Akira rolled her eyes. "Uh huh…" she said, annoyed.

"Man!" Sakura said, "You're becoming more like Kumori! Can't tease you about anything!"

"Well, let's eat!" Minori said, waving all the guests into the dining room.

As they sat down and began to eat, everyone congratulated Akira on her 18th. Then conversation arose. Hatanaka started it, explaining how Shuuichi was doing well for him and how Kokoda was going to college.

Kumori, who was sitting next to Akira, said, "What did you think of last week?"

"Training or testing?" Akira asked.

"Testing."

"Not so bad…" Akira said. "History's not horrible."

"Heh…" Kumori said. "Wasn't sure if I passed."

"Did you study?" Akira asked.

"Yeah…"

"Then, you passed. Trust me, Kumori; I'm sure you did fine." Just then, Hatanaka grabbed Akira's attention.

"So, Akira," Hatanaka asked. "What are you going to do after school? Shuuichi is working for me and Kokoda says he wants to go to college. What will you be doing? Getting a job? Going off to college? Go back to America?"

"Actually, Mr. Hatanaka," Akira said. "I already have a job…"

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes," Minori said. "She works at our dance school after school and on weekends."

"Really?" Shiori asked. "Well, that's exciting! Who do you teach?"

"5 to 8 year olds…" Akira said. "I find them easier to deal with than kids who are closer to my age."

Shiori nodded. "That would make sense…" She began chatting with Minori about how their kids were growing up and she could remember a time when Shuuichi was just a baby.

Akira chewed quietly on a piece of chicken. She swallowed as she listened to Kokoda and his studies. She noticed Ryuu doing something that nearly made her choke as she tried not to laugh.

Ryuu was making funny faces at her, blowing up his cheeks and bugging his eyes. He also stuck his tongue out in weird ways. He kept doing this, trying to make her burst out laughing. Finally, she crossed her eyes and blew up her cheeks. He instantly stopped and went back to his plate, saying quietly, "You're weird, Akira."

Akira rolled her eyes. She said, "Well, you're weirder."

He glared at her and went back to stabbing moodily at his plate. He suddenly snickered and looked Kumori, who was talking to Hikari. There was mischief in his eyes.

Akira foresaw it coming. She whispered, "If you dare start a food fight now, I can assure you that you will be wishing for mercy by the time I get through with you. And don't forget that Kumori and Mom will be wanting your hide as well. Besides, would Dad want you to do that?"

Ryuu looked grumpily at his older sister. "Sakura's right. You're no fun."

Akira shrugged and turned back to the conversation. She listened quietly as her mother explained the new project they were doing. She shook her head. Her mother was so excited about the new dance project.

As the conversation moved on, dinner finished up. The traditional cake and ice cream were brought out and everyone stood up and went to their own little groups. As Akira walked into the room, she walked up to her friends who were chatting with Kokoda and Kurama. Hikari turned and motioned for her to pick up the pace. As Akira walked up, she smiled at her friends.

"There's Akira!" Hikari said, pulling her in with an arm.

"Happy birthday," Kokoda said.

Kurama nodded. "Yes. Congratulations."

Akira smiled. "Thank you."

Hikari said, "So! Should we fill in Ku-uh, Shuuichi and Kokoda in on what happened for the past three years? Like with Sakura and your problem?"

"Problem?" Kokoda asked, confused. Kurama's gaze intensified on Akira, while Kumori glared at Hikari.

"Oh, uh…" Akira said, stalling. "Sakura and I didn't get along back when I was younger. Right, Hikari?" Akira elbowed her friend, hard. When Hikari bent down, a little out of breath, Akira whispered, urgently, "Don't bring that up! Shiori, Hatanaka, and Kokoda know nothing about it!"

Hikari hissed, "Ok! Ok! I got it!" She rubbed her side. "Yeah! Akira and Sakura fought a lot back a few years ago. Nothing important."

Akira smiled innocently at the two boys, though she knew that Kurama knew better about the lie she had just fed his younger step-brother. She remembered that he had left for Demon World the day she had told her mother, and since she had never talked to him since, he did not know what had happened. She made a mental note to tell him about that sometime today.

"So Kokoda…" Kumori said. "Your dad said you were going to college. Know where you're going?"

Kokoda shook his head. "I have had several letters, but I'm not sure where I'm going. But shouldn't you three be worrying about college? You're graduating this next year."

Hikari grinned, "I know! It's exciting! I am pretty sure I am going to college! I got several acceptance letters…" She turned to Akira and Kumori, "But these two are so secretive about if they got letters or not."

Kumori sighed and said, "You should've asked. I got letters but I didn't ever apply. Your mom know something about that, Akira?"

Akira sweat-dropped. "She just wants you to look at the option of college, Kumori. It's not like she picked a college out for you."

Kumori glared. "Hn."

Akira coughed, hiding a laugh at Kumori's response. Kumori glared at her, but she shrugged it off. Then, she said, "I got a scholarship to a dance school in Tokyo."

Kokoda blinked, and then asked, "Are you aiming to be a professional dancer?"

Akira smiled, "Maybe…"

A voice behind her chuckled. "Don't lie to the guests. Akira's been always aiming go pro, ever since Dad taught her to two-step at two."

Akira spun around while Kumori and Hikari turned to see Sakura, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She ruffled Akira's hair.

"Yep," Sakura said. "Get a good look at her now and remember her as she is, because in a few years, she'll be big."

Akira flushed. "Sakura!" she griped. "Quit teasing!"

Sakura looked down at her younger sister, the hyper mood dying. "Sheesh!" she griped, sounding a little put out. "You are no fun! What happened?"

Akira folded her arms and stuck her tongue out like a child. "I am too fun. I just don't like being teased in public."

"Anyways…" Sakura stated. "All the siblings asked me to steal Birthday Girl for a little bit. Don't worry, we might give her back."

Hikari gasped, dramatically, "No! Don't take her away!" Kumori rolled her eyes.

"Gwa ha ha ha!" Sakura said, doing an impression of an evil villain. "I am taking Akira with me and there is nothing you can do about it!" She began to walk away with Akira.

"No!" Hikari said, reaching out for Akira. "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" As she did this, Kumori reached up to smack the back of Hikari's head, while Shuuichi and Kokoda sweat-dropped at the teasing.

When they walked into the next room, Sakura joked, "Seems you're the popular one."

"Well," Akira said, thinking. "That's probably because I am their friend."

"Really?" Sakura said. "Hmm… Yeah, I guess your right…"

Akira smiled and she stuck her tongue out when Sakura grabbed it.

Sakura said, "Ha-ha! I was waiting for that! I caught your tongue!"

"Gross!" Akira complained, spitting. "Ugh! You have contaminated my mouth," she stated, though her eyes showed she was teasing.

"Hey!" Sakura said, glaring at her sister. "My hands aren't dirty! I wash them, thank you very much!"

Akira smiled innocently. "So you say…"

Sakura glared at her sister as they walked into the next room over. When Akira looked over, she saw all her siblings there. She blinked questioningly.

"What's going on?" Akira asked.

"Well, we figured that we needed to get you ready…" Kohaku said, grinning mischievously. "Keep up the tradition, remember?"

Akira blinked again. Her facial expression turned into a confused one. "Huh?"

Suddenly, she felt Sakura's vice-like grip hold her from behind. Her eyes widened as she realized what they meant. She began to struggle as she saw Kohaku hold up a blindfold.

"Oh, come on! Can't we skip this?" Akira said, struggling against her sister as she suddenly felt the little hands and arms of her younger siblings wrap around her legs as she freed an arm. As the blindfold went on and everything went black, Akira grumbled as she felt another set of hands help Sakura restrain her. She hated being blind.

She felt the hands of her younger siblings pushing her back into the other room, while Sakura still held her arms with the added reinforcement of Kohaku, and she could hear quiet snickering coming from a few people as she walked in, though she couldn't figure out who it was very well, but she knew one was Hikari. She felt herself be sat down in a chair. She sighed, rather irritated with the situation.

"Come on now," she heard Kohaku say. "It isn't that bad."

"Says the one who doesn't mind being blind…" Akira muttered. She heard several chuckles at this and silently cursed her phobia of not being able to see.

She heard Kumori ask, "You're mentally glaring at all of us, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Akira said, tersely as she felt her body grow tense.

"Yep," Kumori said, knowing her friend's short nature when she was placed in a situation she didn't like.

Akira knew better than to try and remove the fabric. She could sense her sister's arms hanging above hers, ready to hold her down if she tried anything. She tensed even more. Then, she felt the weight of something in her lap.

The blindfold was removed and there sat a little package, nicely wrapped up with a card. She hated the blindfold, but it was tradition of every birthday so that the receiver would read the card attached. She picked up the card and opened it. She read the message from her mother.

"Thanks mom," Akira said, smiling at her mom. She then put the card back and began opening the gift. When she opened it she found inside a black leotard and matching shoes. She looked up questioningly at her mother.

"I noticed your old one is tearing in the back," her mother explained. "Also, you said you needed new dance shoes as yours are falling apart."

Akira smiled at her mother and nodded. She sat the gift down, sighed, and closed her eyes as she felt the blindfold placed back on the back on her eyes.

She received a new pair of jeans from Kohaku, hair care products from Tsubaki, a top that read "The trouble with life is there's no background music" from Sakura, a group gift of a dress from Yuri, Sango, and Ryuu, and then she felt her eyes covered again.

She felt, instead of a card, a small hand in hers. She knew it as Yuki's small hand. The blindfold was removed and she saw Yuki holding her hand. Yuki pulled on his sister's hand.

Yuki pulled her over to the piano. He sat on the bench. He made her sit down by him and then he told her, "This is Akane and my present. We've been working really hard on it with our teacher since your last birthday."

She nodded. "All right, Yuki, you can give it to me. What is it?"

He motioned for Akane to come over and they began playing the piano. Soft notes came out as they began playing Akira's favorite piano piece, The River Flows in You by Yimura. Akane was playing the right hand while Yuki played the left.

Akira felt tears come to her eyes. She knew that was a hard piece to play, especially for a 5 year old and an 8 year old. Yuki had only started last year and although Akane had started when she was also 4, Akira knew how much effort they must have gone through to learn to play it.

When they finished, Akira hugged both her siblings and kissed their cheeks. "Thank you," she said as she kissed them again. Both children giggled and hugged their sister. Then, they darted off back to the group.

Then, she felt the blindfold come back on and she was led back. She felt a small envelope placed in her hands. The blindfold was removed and she opened the card. It was from the Hatanakas. Inside was a gift card to a bookstore she liked to visit.

"Thank you," she said, looking at the family.

"You're welcome dear," Shiori said, reaching out and giving her a hug.

As she was about to sit down, Hikari said, "You don't have to do that. Kumori and I are going to give you your gifts later."

Akira nodded. She smiled at everyone in thanks. Then, she stood and everyone went back to their groups. But Akira silently slipped into the backyard, grabbing a CD player that was left near the door.

She sat on a swing that her mom had installed a couple years ago and she sat on it. She then pulled the CD case that Satoshi had given her and opened it. There were 2 CDs in the case. She took the first CD and put it in the CD player, ready to search for the song she was looking for. She searched through the CD until she found the song she had hoped was there.

She smiled softly as the familiar song played reminding her of her father. How happy he would've been to be there. If only...

She felt the warm tears leak down her face as the familiar chorus played. A soft breeze blew by. She closed her eyes as a memory enveloped her while the song played.

"_Akira?" her father called. He found his 7-year-old daughter in her room, hugging her legs as she sat, looking out the window. "Hey Senorita Ballerina, what's going on?" he asked. When Akira didn't answer, he sat next to his daughter and asked, "Princess? What's bothering you?"_

"_Kumori doesn't have a dad," Akira said. "She told me so today. She said he's gone far away and she'll never see him again… It made me sad…" _

"_Why'd it make you sad?" her father asked._

"_Cause… I tried to imagine never seeing you again and it made me sad," Akira said. She then turned to look at her father, "Daddy?"_

"_What is it?" he asked. _

"_Promise me you'll never go away," Akira said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "That you'll never leave me." _

"_Oh, Akira… I can't promise that I won't ever go away," her dad said._

"_Why not?" Akira asked. _

"_Things happen," he said. "But I can promise you that I won't ever leave you." He took her small hand and placed both his hand and hers over her heart. "I will always be with you in here." _

"_Really?" _

"_Guaranteed," he said. _

_She held up a pinky. "Pinky swear?" _

_He locked his pinky with hers. "Pinky swear." _

Akira smiled softly and then looked back at the house as the song ended. She knew she had to go back. She turned off the CD player and walked back inside. As she did, she saw everyone turn to look at her.

"There you are," Sakura said. "We've been looking for ya!"

Akira blinked and her mother said, "Satoshi needs to go home." Akira nodded.

Satoshi waved, "Well, I'll see you later. Happy birthday, Akira." He kissed Kohaku on the cheek and left.

As he did, Shiori said, "Well, we should probably get going too."

"Oh! Uh," Hikari said, "Wait! Uh, we had something to ask you!" The Hatanakas all looked at her and she continued, "Well, we're going to have some of Akira's friends who we haven't seen in while come over for a visit in about hour and we were wondering if Shuuichi could stay." She turned to Shuuichi and said, "We haven't seen you in forever, so…"

Shuuichi nodded understandingly and turned to his parents. "What do you two think?"

"Well…" Shiori said, "I think you should be fine. As long as you don't come home too late." She turned to her husband and looked at him.

"I don't have a problem with it," he said. "After all Shuuichi, tomorrow is your day off. I don't mind."

Shuuichi nodded. "Well, I don't see why I can't."

Hikari grinned. "That's great!"

"Well, we'd best be off," Shiori said. "This was fun. We should all meet together again sometime."

Minori nodded and hugged her friend. "Yes. We should."

Kurama's family went to the door. "Happy birthday Akira," Shiori called. Hatanaka and Shuuichi also called out their birthday wishes.

After they left, Minori picked up Yuri and said, "Well, I guess all of us had better get going to help Kohaku unpack. Akira, Kumori, you're both in charge. Make sure you and your friends don't get too wild. All right?"

Akira and Kumori nodded. After Minori, Kohaku, and Sakura had ushered all the younger siblings out and left with them for Kohaku's apartment, Kurama turned to Akira and Kumori as Hikari went to go get some things done.

"Wait… we are going to be alone?" Kurama asked.

Akira pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded, while Kumori looked out to the window, bored.

"And who is coming to this?"

Akira answered, while still pinching her nose, "I know that Keiko, Shizuru, Yukina, Kuwabara, and Yusuke are coming. We asked Genkai after Yusuke was invited, but she said that she wasn't sure… So yeah."

"And who, may I ask, persuaded Minori to agree to letting Yusuke and Kuwabara run rampant in your house alone?" he asked.

Both Kumori and Akira pointed in the direction that Hikari had gone. Akira sighed, "She did."

Kurama blinked. "All right… Well, what are we going to do?"

Akira shook her head, "I don't know. Hikari planned this, not Kumori or me."

Hikari came back into the room. She was smiling as she walked in. "Kurama! We haven't seen you in forever!" She glomped him.

Kurama made a slight groan as the air was knocked out of his body. He then patted his friend on the back, "It's good to see you too, Hikari."

Hikari let go and grinned. Then, the doorbell rang and a knocking sound was heard. Hikari dashed to open it and it revealed Yusuke and Keiko.

"Hey guys!" Hikari said. "Come on in." She led them to the living room, where the others were.

As they walked in, the doorbell rang again. Hikari went to go get it and this time, Kuwabara, Shizuru, and Yukina were at the door. But to Hikari's surprise, there was one other person with them. Hiei.

He didn't look happy, as he was glaring at Kuwabara, but he was there. Hikari blinked and then she grinned. "Hey everyone! Come in!"

As they walked in, Yukina pulled on Hikari's sleeve. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Whatever for?" Hikari asked.

"I asked Hiei to come. He was going to be all alone at the temple, so, I asked him to come," Yukina said. "I forgot to ask if that was ok."

"That's perfectly fine, Yukina!" Hikari said. "I would've asked him myself if I knew he was here! So, it's ok!" She looked at the group heading for the living room and then turned to Yukina. "But, where's Genkai?"

"She went to visit a psychic friend of hers. She said it couldn't wait," Yukina said.

Hikari nodded. "Ok! Let's go into the living room!" She turned and both girls walked into the living room.

As they walked in, everyone was sitting and chatting together. They sat down and joined the company. As they chatted, however, Hikari noticed that Hiei had glanced at Kumori, who was talking to Akira, with a bit of stunned surprise on his face. But no one else noticed as Yusuke turned to Akira and Kumori.

"Akira?" Yusuke asked. Akira turned to him as he asked, "Who's that girl next to you?"

Kumori's eyes narrowed into a glare. "It's me, you idiot."

"Kumori?" Yusuke asked, surprised. "Wow… So, you finally got tired of cross-dressing and decided to actually look like a girl?"

Kumori hissed furiously. She narrowed her eyes and turned to Akira, "I shall never again wear a dress. Now, I'm going to go change." She stood up and stomped upstairs.

Akira turned to Yusuke, her eyes narrowed. "Thanks Yusuke!" she snapped, annoyed.

"What are you mad at me for?" Yusuke said.

Akira rolled her eyes. "I better go get changed too. Hikari?"

Hikari nodded and stood. "I hear ya. I could use a t-shirt and a pair of jeans."

After Akira and Hikari left, Kuwabara began to laugh. He snickered and covered his mouth and began shaking with laughter as he looked at Hiei. Hiei noticed this.

His eyes narrowed. "What's so funny, fool?"

"Oh nothing," Kuwabara said. "I just didn't think you'd be interested in Kumori."

Hiei's eyes narrowed even more until they were slits. "What did you say?"

"I saw the way you looked at her, Shorty." Kuwabara said.

Suddenly, Hiei's katana was out and against Kuwabara's neck. The look on his face was one of pure rage. He looked ready to slice Kuwabara's head off.

"Hiei…" Kurama said, warningly.

Hiei slid the katana slowly back into its sheath, but his glare never left Kuwabara. Kuwabara looked nervous, but he brushed it off when Kumori came down.

Kumori was dressed in a dark navy t-shirt and black jeans, a black cat-collar was around her neck. She blinked as she saw that her friends were missing, but she shrugged and sat down. She looked up at the ceiling.

Soon after, Akira and Hikari came down. Akira was dressed in a green t-shirt with blue jeans while Hikari came down in a blue top with faded and torn at the knee jeans. Akira still had the Forget-Me-Nots in her hair.

When they stepped in, Yusuke said, "Took you long enough. So what are we going to do?"

Akira shrugged, then turned to look at Hikari. "Hikari?"

"Well," Hikari said. "We could play some games or we can set up the Karaoke Machine. I was thinking as for a game we could play Twister, but that only has room for four players. We could also play Telephone or Charades or something like that."

"Well, I'm always up for a game of Twister," Akira said. "Anyone else want to play?"

Yusuke grinned. "Count me in! This'll be fun! I'm a master at that game."

Akira smirked. "Oh, you only think that, because you haven't played against me or Kumori." She turned to the rest of the group. "Anyone else?"

"I'll play," Kumori said, standing up.

"Yeah! I'll play too!" Kuwabara said, rising as well. "I'm sure I can beat Urameshi at this!"

"Ok!" Hikari said, cheerily. "I'll be the spinner. Should I set up the Karaoke Machine too?"

"Sure," Shizuru said, quietly. "But, I also brought movies in case we need to keep my bro and Yusuke entertained."

"Ok!" Hikari said, grinning. "We'll play a movie and when we get bored we can set up the Karaoke Machine! Sound good?"

Everyone nodded. Shizuru set up a movie while Hikari brought out the mat and spinner.

After about half an hour, the game of Twister had gotten interesting. Yusuke had slipped nearly twice, while Kuwabara had fallen out. Akira and Kumori, hadn't fallen yet, but they were sweating and shaking all the same.

"Ok…" Hikari said. "Left foot, blue!"

Akira and Kumori quickly reached for a blue circle but as they did, Akira felt herself slip and fall. As she fell, her right leg whacked Yusuke's lower back and he slipped, falling flat on his back.

"Well," Hikari said. "It looks like Kumori wins!"

Kumori smiled slightly and helped Akira up, while Yusuke pushed himself up.

"Ow…" he groaned. He glared at Akira. "That hurt!"

"Sorry…" Akira said. "But it wasn't my fault your back was there."

Yusuke narrowed his eyes at her and then stalked off to go sit by Keiko. He looked grumpy.

Akira sighed and rubbed her aching leg that had whacked Yusuke's lower back. "Ow…" she murmured.

Kumori looked at her. "You ok?"

"Yusuke's got a really hard back…" Akira said, as she rubbed her leg. She and Kumori made their way to go watch the movie.

It was an okay movie, Akira supposed. It was a foreign martial arts film filled with lots of explosions and fighting, though Akira didn't understand the plot. But, as Shizuru had said, it kept Yusuke and Kuwabara entertained.

After the movie was over, everything was quiet. Kumori, though, broke the silence.

"What now?"

"Well," Keiko said, "We could use the karaoke.'

Everyone nodded. Akira, Kumori, and Hikari went to go grab some of their CDs. Akira, Kumori, and Hikari brought out some random choices that they found around the house and in their rooms.

Everyone stared at the choices. Kuwabara turned to Akira, holding up a couple of CDs she had brought. "Wow… you guys have these?"

"Yes…" Akira said. She blinked and asked, "So? "

"It's just… you seem… uh… well… like you wouldn't listen to that…" Kuwabara said.

Akira shrugged. "My mom is a dance teacher and sometimes she picks songs with lyrics to use for performances."

"Who cares?" Yusuke asked. "Let's pick a CD and get started! Who wants to go first?"

"Kumori should!" Hikari said. "She usually never sings!"

Kumori turned to glare at her friend. "No." Her eyes were narrowed.

"Come on, Kumori!" Hikari said, looking at her friend. "You should!"

"No." she hissed, fangs bared. She looked angry, ready to attack.

However, Yusuke found this as an opportunity to tease her. "What's the matter? You afraid?"

Kumori glowered at him. "I am not," she snapped. "I just don't want to sing."

"You sound afraid," Yusuke scoffed. He turned to Kuwabara, "Doesn't she, Kuwabara?"

"Yeah…" Kuwabara said, joining in.

"Fine!" Kumori said, her eyes narrowing. "I'll sing one song. But know this, I will get you back."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said. "Get up there." He was about to put in a CD, but Akira and Hikari was faster, placing in a different CD and setting it to the correct track. "The hell?" Yusuke asked.

Kumori looked gratefully at her friends as one of her favorite songs, The Hand of Sorrow by Within Temptation, began.

She began to sing, eyes focusing on Hiei, "The child without a name grew up to be the hand. To watch you, to shield you, or kill on demand… The choice he'd made he could not comprehend, his blood a grim secret they had to commend… He's torn between his honor and the true love of his life, he prayed for both but was denied… So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed. Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind? So many years have passed, who are the noble and the wise? Will all our sins be justified?"

Everyone stared as she sang. Yusuke and Kuwabara's jaws had dropped considerably. Hiei had remained impassive, but was meeting her eyes as she continued to stare at him. Kumori ignored their stares and continued. She grew louder as she reached her favorite part. "Please forgive me for the sorrow, for leaving you in fear, for the dreams we had to silence. That's all they'll ever be. Still I'll be the hand that serves you, though you'll not see that it is me…"

She continued and after the song finished, she quietly went back to her seat. Everyone was silent for a moment before they snapped out of it and continued playing with the machine. They began picking random songs to play and it became hilarious as they watched each other singing random songs.

After a while, they decided to play a card game on the living room floor. Akira, Shizuru, Kumori, and Hiei had decided to sit it out and watch them play. Kumori and Akira occupied the couch while Shizuru and Hiei occupied chairs.

While she sat on the couch, Akira felt her eyes droop. Her head slumped and rested on the arm of the couch while she curled into the fetal position. Her breathing slowed and she fell asleep.

Kumori looked over at her friend and smiled. She knew that Akira had been having a hard time sleeping with all the worry she had. All of them had. She stood up and went to go get a blanket for her friend.

When she came back, she placed the blanket on her friend. As she did, Hikari looked up, seeing Akira. She looked at Kumori, who nodded and held a finger to her lips. Hikari nodded slightly, smiling and going back to the card game.

After the card game had finished, everyone decided they should get going home. As they got up, Kumori slightly shook Akira. Akira didn't wake up.

Kumori rolled her eyes and sighed. She and Hikari walked Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Yukina, and Hiei to the door. After saying goodbye, they turned to Kurama.

"Are you driving home?" Hikari asked, glancing outside to see if there was a car, as Kumori walked off to go try and wake up Akira.

Kurama shook his head. "I am walking. Don't worry," he said, noticing Hikari's apologetic face. "It doesn't bother me."

Hikari nodded and said, "Well, we'll see you later, Kurama. We should do this again."

He nodded and waved, walking off into the night. As Hikari waved back, Kumori walked in. "Hikari," she said. "She's not waking up."

Hikari shook her head and bounced over to Akira. She whispered in her ear, "Psst… Akira, you need to get up…"

Akira didn't budge. She actually lifted a hand and hit Hikari in the face, murmuring something to the effect of "go away." She rolled over and sighed.

Hikari rubbed her nose. "Ow…" She bent down to try again, but Kumori stopped her.

"Leave her be. Once she's out, she's out," Kumori said. "We'll just get her staff and leave it here."

Hikari nodded. Both went upstairs and brought down the staff. They left it by the couch and went upstairs to their own rooms.

As they all slept, they all dreamt peacefully, their minds at ease. However, none of them sensed a presence nearby as a pair of eyes glowed in the moonlight as their owner watched the house from the backyard.

* * *

Ending Comments: Well, that's exciting! I hope you enjoyed it! Can any of you guess who was watching the house? ^^ Anywho, I am so grateful to you all. Thank you all for your kindness! Please don't forget to review!


	21. Chapter 18

Manga Maid's Notes: Sorry I haven't updated guys. I just have had a ton of crap to deal with and my brain was evil and shut off the juices for a while. Took a looooooooooong time to restart them. Anywho thanks to: Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, Akari Tsubasa, Athena of wisdom, ninja enchantress, Grave Requiem, RainingJellyBeans, Titch-ola, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , MarieAntonia, PiNkBuN17, AmoreVampiresv-v, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91, Angel of Randomosity, maru101, Smiling Crazy, Okina Reika, White Rose Fox, Miorochi, eragon1228, hikariserenity, and Mihakaku. Thank you all! Big bear hugs to you! And let's not forget my editors: Tsuki Kiba Kumori and demon of my heart and mind! Thank you all! And now... Let's begin!

* * *

Darkness was all around her and she was running. Several voices laughed in the darkness. She recognized those voices, though the memory was faint. She stopped and spun around, her eyes trying to see through the impenetrable darkness, but to no avail. She heard the soft thumps of footsteps. They were probably trying to scare her.

"I know you're there!" she hissed in anger. "Come out you bastard!"

The thumps were growing closer. She stared into the darkness, trying to see the person or persons she knew was making them. Moments later, she thought she saw movement. The people looked like they had tails and some had scarlet in their hair. Her eyes widened as she heard the screams of her friends. Spinning around she searched, but found nothing. She heard her mother screaming her name.

"Kumori! KUMORI!"

Kumori shot awake, sitting up. She was covered in sweat and shaking. Her head was throbbing as she wildly looked around at her surroundings. She was in her room and that it was about 3:35 A.M.

She blinked and sighed. It had been just a dream. Leaning against her headboard, she tried to think of what would trigger her to have a dream like that, but nothing came. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she pushed back the covers and went to get dressed.

When she finished, she walked down the hall and then downstairs. The lights were off, which indicated that everyone else was still asleep. She walked softly into the kitchen and went to the faucet. Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, she turned on the warm water. After it was full, she went to the cupboard pantry and grabbed a packet of hot chocolate. After pouring it in and stirring, she sat at the table and began to drink.

She began to think about what she had dreamed. It bothered her that that dream could still give her nightmares. She shook her head trying to avoid bringing up the unwanted dream that was still plaguing her.

Sitting back, she closed her eyes. She couldn't understand what had brought up that. Nothing eventful had happened for a while. At least, nothing that would bring up those thoughts.

Nausea pulled at her stomach, but she ignored it, trying to shake off the nightmare. She touched her long, scarlet streak, her eyes glazing over as she stared at it. The sound of footsteps snapped her out of her reverie.

Akira, fully dressed, walked down the steps. She paused when she saw Kumori and smiled at her. Kumori just stared at her cup.

Akira silently walked into the kitchen, pulling out a muffin and pouring herself a glass of water. Walking to the table, she sat down and began silently eating, knowing that Kumori was not in a mood to talk.

Both sat in silence. Finally, Akira stood up and put the muffin's liner in the garbage and her glass in the sink. Leaving the kitchen, Akira went into the living room and quietly turned on the T.V.

When the early sunrise began to come into the house, Kumori stood up. She walked into the T.V. room where Akira was. Coughing, she made her presence known.

Akira turned to Kumori. She smiled at her and said, "Hey, Kumori. What's up?"

"I need to go to Genkai's…" Kumori announced, quietly.

Akira's brow furrowed. "Did something happen?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Kumori answered harshly.

Akira leaned back, apparently caught off guard by Kumori's response. Closing her eyes for a moment, she seemed to be decided. Finally, she answered. "All right. I'll cover for you."

Kumori smiled a small and grateful smile. Then, without any warning, she vanished.

Akira turned back to the T.V. and sighed. Shutting it off, she stood and grabbed a paper. After writing a quick note, telling anyone who found it that she and Kumori had gone out for a walk, and leaving it on the table, Akira opened the door and left.

To Kumori…

Kumori sighed as she reached Genkai's temple. Taking in a deep breath, she knocked once on the door.

A few moments later, the door opened to show Yukina. Her scarlet eyes lit at the sight of Kumori. "Kumori?" she asked. "It's good to see you! What are you doing here?"

Kumori's ice-blue eyes looked at the ground. She didn't feel really comfortable sharing her dream with anyone but Genkai at the moment. "I need to speak to Genkai…"

Yukina nodded, kindly. She ushered Kumori inside and led her into the living room, where Kumori could see that Genkai was sitting with her back to them. Nodding at Kumori to go inside, Yukina walked off to another part of the house.

Walking slowly in, Kumori shut the door. After she did, she stood, waiting for Genkai to speak. After a long while, Kumori's patience was rewarded.

"Well Kumori," Genkai said, still facing away. "What brings you here?"

Kumori took a deep breath and spoke. "I need…" She paused, looking for the right word. "I need… help." After that, she looked up at the ceiling. Asking for help had never been one of her strong suits.

Genkai was quiet. Then, she said, "Well, sit down and explain."

Kumori nodded. Walking closer, she sat down and began.

...

"Sir," a male voice said, kneeling in front of a chair with a person sitting in it. "We've found her. But there are a few things." He stood to whisper to the person's ear.

"Excellent," the person said, at the man. "Send someone out to kill her… No, scratch that, have them bring her to me. But kill her two friends. After all, they could interfere. Just make sure _he_ has no clue as to what is going on. If he finds out, he may try to destroy all our plans."

"Yes sir," the man scampered away.

The person looked around. They had finally found her. After, so long. Finally.

...

Kumori looked down at the floor, as she finished explaining to Genkai. Her hands tightened while Genkai sat silently. Finally, Genkai spoke.

"So…" Genkai said, her back still to Kumori. "You think that your mother's family is looking for you."

"Uh huh," Kumori said, looking up reproachfully.

"And you think that they would go to any means to get you."

"Yes…" Kumori said, slowly.

Genkai took a long sip from her cup. After setting it down, she said, "Well then, the question is are you going to run and take your problems with you? Or are you going to face them head on?"

Kumori's eyes widened in surprise. She thought about it for a moment. Then, she answered, "I'm not a coward. I won't run."

...

Akira took a deep breath as she lay in the shade of one of the giant trees in the park where she had first been kidnapped by a water demon three years ago. Mitsuko's diary was in her lap, open to the last entry.

_Hello Aimi. _

_Today is the day before I die. Thirty four days after they killed Satoru. I am not afraid. Ever since his death, I have wanted to join him in Spirit World. I can only hope that King Yama will be kind enough to put us together when I go._

_Well, this is not why I am writing. I am writing to you because I know this is the last time I can write to you. I will be experiencing many horrible tortures before my execution and they will take my possessions. But not you, I am hiding you with a friend of mine. He will take you to King Yama to take care of. Hopefully, King Yama will destroy my entire race. It's what we deserve. _

_As law dictates, I will be killed, my possessions given to the highest bidder of human world, and the money given to my family. This is to dishonor me and my family, since our race never has need for money and possessing human wealth is very dishonorable. But I will have the last laugh, for one of my possessions will be a curse to whoever owns it._

_As you know, I have the gift of seeing the future. I have seen the future of my heart, and I will not hinder it in anyway. In fact, I mean to help it. My heart, the heart I was ready to give to Satoru will be the destruction of whoever comes to possess it. It will make their life miserable and kill them within the first five years of possession. _

_As I die, I place a curse on this heart of mine. That it shall destroy whatever person comes across it. Except save one. One who it will bind itself to and give my full power. And to that person I give a warning I pray they will heed. My heart should never be removed without the new owner's consent. But once it is worn for over ten years, if it removed against the owner's will, it will remove part of her soul. But, that is not my warning. My warning to you, my successor, is to be wary of the world. For it will try to cause you great and awful pain, the same pain they gave me before my execution. If you are not my successor, but are reading this, I ask you to find her and deliver the message. To find her, I give you two clues: She will be a kind and gentle hearted young lady and she will be a human who loves a demon…_

_Farewell and until we meet again,_

_Mitsuko_

Akira sighed as she held the Heart in her hand. "Mitsuko… I still don't understand… What am I supposed to do?" She then looked at the diary as if hoping that it would talk and answer her.

The diary remained silent as she stared at it. After a while, she sighed and shut it. Standing up and stretching, she moved slowly and picked up the diary, a water bottle she had bought earlier, and her CD player that she kept in her jacket. She stuck the Heart in her shirt and then began walking.

Walking down a path in the park, she tapped the play button as the CD she had received from Satoshi began to play where she had left off.

_The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight_

_Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time_

_I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts_

_I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out_

Akira smiled a little sadly as the music, soft and slow, gently reminded her of the past three years. The past three years, though not bad, hadn't been pleasant. All three of them had missed their friends and when they had come back, Akira had taken up a job to keep herself busy, Hikari had taken to look out the window like a puppy waiting for part of the family to come home, and Kumori had turned herself cold and quiet.

Akira shook the memories away as she walked into a field. She focused on the music and closed her eyes. She began twirling in circles, mouthing the lyrics along. The music switched, but she kept along with her little routine.

After several songs, a hand landed on her shoulder. Her eyes shot open and she spun around, smacking someone with her hand. She blinked and then covered her mouth with her hands in shock and a bit of horror when she realized she had slapped her favorite redheaded fox.

Kurama seemed to have taken it well. He didn't seemed to be phased by the now throbbing red mark on his cheek. But as his eyes were closed and Akira had learned from past experiences that he was known for having a constant calm and poise even when he was angry, she wasn't certain.

"Kurama? Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to slap you!" She looked up at him with worry. "Are you ok?"

Kurama's mouth turned up into a small smile. He said, "Don't worry, I am fine. To be honest, you just caught me off-guard. I didn't expect you to slap me."

Akira smiled nervously. "Eheh… Well, being a little paranoid for your life will do that to you. You caught me off-guard too. I didn't notice you come up behind me." She paused and then said, muttering more to herself rather than him, "But then again, you are a fox and a well-known thief, so I guess I should've expected some sneakiness. Darn…"

Kurama's smile grew wider and his eyes glittered with amusement. He chuckled lightly.

Akira shook her head slightly and then said, "Anyways, hi! I haven't seen you around lately."

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "We saw each other last week on your birthday."

Akira's eyes widened as she remembered that. "Oh yeah… Forgot about that…"

"Nothing to worry about," Kurama said. He changed the subject, "Well, what have you been up to?"

"Working. Mom's kind of been in a jam with an upcoming recital and a lot of the other teachers have been using up their vacation time, so she had me working overtime. But, since today is supposed to be my day off and Gina and Sadao are coming back today, I decided to get some fresh air." She looked at him with curious eyes. "How about you?"

"I have been working as well," Kurama answered. "Apparently, my working all of the time has been worrying my mother, so she persuaded Hatanaka to kick me out today."

Akira blinked as if something in her head clicked. She murmured almost silently, "Well, now… that makes sense…"

"What makes sense?" Kurama asked.

Akira looked up surprised. It seemed she had forgotten about his sensitive hearing. "Er… nothing!"

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "What makes sense Akira?"

Akira was about to answer when both sensed demonic energy. Akira froze and turned her head to look behind her. Kurama's eyes darted past her looking farther into the trees then her human eyes could.

Suddenly, Akira was pushed away by Kurama as he dodged. When Akira looked at where they had been standing, a dagger was in the ground. Kurama appeared out of thin air and his rose whip in hand. Akira quickly pushed herself up to her feet and pulled out her staff.

"Impressive," a soft, dark voice said. "I didn't expect to be noticed. Ah well. Let's get ready for Round 2."

...

Hikari looked up at the sky. She had woken only a half hour ago. Seeing the note Akira had left and, wondering when they would be back, Hikari had gone outside to wait. She was worried. Something hadn't felt right since she had woken up.

Her ears perked up as she heard a noise. Turning, she saw a flash of movement. She instantly was on guard.

"I know you're there," Hikari said, tersely. "Show yourself."

A glint of metal flashed and Hikari moved, but not in time. Her arm flashed with a quick feeling of pain as she dodged. When she stopped, she looked at her arm and saw that it was leaking crimson. She turned to the shadow of the attacker and growled.

"Who are you?"

The shadow spoke softly. "Hmm… That should've taken off the arm. Perhaps I am losing my touch."

"I'll ask again," Hikari snarled, drawing a throwing knife. "Who are you?"

The attacker didn't answer but just lunged.

...

Kumori sat, in her demon appearance, on a branch in Hiei's tree. After speaking with Genkai some more, the aged psychic had suggested that she meditate. Kumori had agreed and gone outside.

Her mind was trying to clear itself when a soft thump landed in front of her. The scent told her who it was. "Hello, Hiei. What do you want?"

"Hn. You're in my spot, onna."

Kumori kept her eyes closed as she responded. "Really? I wasn't aware this was your spot. I didn't see your name on it." She didn't have to open her eyes to know she had angered him. She could feel the death glare.

"Hn."

She heard a whooshing noise. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw that he had left. Sighing, she went back to meditating.

Clearing her mind of all thought was usually quite easy for her, but her dream had made it very hard at the moment. The pain had felt so real. It bothered her badly.

She focused her mind to a blank so that she could set her mind in order. She tried to focus but her mind didn't seem to be following its task. Sighing in irritation, Kumori leaned against the tree, letting everything surround her until her mind dozed off.

"_Can you believe that she brought that _thing_ here?"_

"_How could she? Desecrating her father's name and bringing that half-human spawn here!"_

"_What do you think her father will say?"_

"_Think the human found out what she was?"_

"_I hope that the leader kills the half-breed. Cleans ourselves of the filth, you know."_

"_Mother, who's that?"_

"_Hush dear… Don't point."_

_Murmuring surrounded Kumori. She was confused as her eyes remained closed and she couldn't open them. She just lay still, wrapped up in something soft and warm, being held in a pair of warm arms._

"_She's strong. That's why she was supposed to be the leader."_

"_She's coming this way!"_

"_Ugh… How could she bring _that_ here?"_

_Kumori felt her body move up and down as if the person carrying her was walking. She wished she could open her eyes, but they stayed closed. Hearing the shut of a door Kumori wondered where they were. Just then, a voice she recognized as her mother's spoke._

"_Leader…" she said, almost reverently._

_A male voice spoke. "Aisu… You are welcome. And who is this?"_

"_My daughter, Kumori… Your granddaughter." _

"_Ahh…" A pair of older, giant hands landed on Kumori's head. "Hmm… I see…" A sound of quiet laughter tickled Kumori's ears. _

"_Father?" Another male voice asked._

"'_Tis nothing. The child, though… Extraordinary."_

"_What?" A female who wasn't Kumori's mother asked._

_The leader spoke,"Aisu, we must speak to the clan."_

"_Yes sir…" Her mother sounded anxious._

_The sound of the door opening and footsteps sounded in Kumori's ears. A mob of noise hit her sensitive hearing and she whimpered. It was too loud._

_The noise suddenly stopped and the leader spoke, "My people. My daughter, who would be our leader after I, has come here with a child. This child, as you know, is half-human."_

_Angry noise from the crowd rose and screams for killing sounded. It quickly died off as soon as it had started._

"_The child is, indeed, half-human. We are known for our power, our strength! And you call for the child's death." Noise of agreement rose but the leader cut them off. "I, however, call for a different punishment." Murmurings began as he continued; "My granddaughter shall be banned from our clan for eighteen years after her mother leaves with her. She will not be permitted to set one foot in our settlement until the time has expired. However, her mother is still my choice to rule, but as she has brought forth an heir that may pose weakness, that position is now temporary for her. If any of my other kin prove to you that they would be better, let you decide for yourselves who will be leader. That is all."_

_Anger cries rose up again. Kumori began to whimper. Stepping back into what Kumori guessed was the house that they had been in earlier the noise became muffled._

"_Uncle! Are you mad?" An angry male voice spoke, sounding shocked. "You should've killed that brat!"_

"_Muerte…" The leader said, patiently, "You did not see the child's future as I have." _

"_Oh! And I suppose that I am to believe you? You've become weak!" _

"_How dare you!" the male who had spoken earlier when the leader had touched Kumori sounded. "You know that the leader can see into one's future!"_

"_Brother, calm yourself," Kumori's mother said, softly._

_Another voice, this one the female who had talked earlier, said, "I agree with Aisu, both of you calm yourselves."_

_After a moment of silence, the leader spoke, "I have seen the child's future. It was astonishing. I have never seen such a child with such potential for such a future. I do not wish to destroy it." _

_Muerte scoffed, "You are weaker than I originally thought. Any person who knows what that is would kill it."_

_A hiss rose from several voices. Then Kumori's uncle hissed, "You traitorous, vile…"_

"_Enough!" the leader spoke. "I have set the terms and _all_ of you will follow them. Is that understood?"_

"_Yes sir…"_

"_Yes… sir…"_

Kumori opened her eyes in surprise. She blinked a few times and rubbed at her eyes. "What the fuck was that?" Shaking her head, as she tried to forget the dream, she murmured, "Wow. Two weird dreams in one day…"

As she leaned back into the tree, the faint sound of thumping footsteps touched her ears. She sat up, intently listening. _Thump, thump, thump._ The noise sounded like it was coming closer.

Deciding to check out what was making the noise, Kumori stood up. Jumping off the tree, she darted into the forest. Dashing back and forth between trees, Kumori ran amongst the trees, following the noise.

After a few moments, she reached the spot where the thumping had stopped, finding nothing. Looking around as her eyes narrowed in suspicion, she sensed something. Just then, she felt something grab her braid from behind.

"Well, look what I found here. A little cat."

...

Akira darted as another dagger flew her way and smacked another one away with her staff. Looking around for the attacker, she saw that they were throwing daggers at Kurama, who was knocking them away with ease. Kurama flicked his rose whip at them, but they dodged hastily.

Moving quickly to try and hit their arm, Akira started for them. The attacker saw her coming and shot a dagger, grazing her arm. Pain coursed through her arm, more than any normal graze should have. Her arm felt like it was going numb.

The attacker smirked as they realized they had nicked her and their eyes caught hers with an odd flash of light. A heavy thought suddenly penetrated her brain with such force that it nearly threw her out of the air. _'Does it hurt, youngling? Does it make you want to scream in pain? Well, if you submit to me, I promise I won't hurt your friend and I'll make the pain go away.'_

Akira gritted her teeth against the thoughts, trying to remember what Genkai had taught her about throwing off hypnosis. The thought grew larger and heavier as she tried to move. She then realized too late that the knife had been coated in something that was helping the hypnosis and starting to immobilize her body.

"Akira?" Kurama asked, appearing beside her.

Akira barely could turn her head to look at him. It felt so heavy and her body hurt so badly. She felt Kurama finger the wound on her arm and watched weakly as he sniffed at her blood. His eyes lit up in recognition.

As another dagger shot at them, Kurama quickly picked up her immobilized body and moved out of the way. The attacker appeared a little ways off in front of them and Kurama sat her down behind him.

"Amazing," they said. "I am surprised that girl could last this long against an lower B class, I expected her to be an easy kill. And you… you must be a demon and very old. No mere human could do what you have done and no young demon would know exactly how to dodge some of the moves I attacked you with. But I must warn you, I have been ordered to kill that human girl you're guarding. If you don't, I admit, I would have to kill you and I don't want to kill off such skill."

"I admit," Kurama answered. "You are quite perceptive. But I cannot allow you to kill the girl. Tell me, why do you want her life?"

The attacker's eyes just narrowed as he attacked Kurama again. Kurama struck out to defend it, but the dagger moved on its own accord, dodging his whip and heading past him to Akira. Kurama didn't even hear it hit before his eyes liquefied to gold and his hair melted to silver.

...

Hikari grabbed at the demon with claws and was rewarded with some flesh sticking to her claws and another wound, adding to several she had already received. She glared, looking around for the attacker. Several flashed headed toward her. She dodged most of them, but one hit her directly in the back causing her great pain.

She yelped in pain and landed on the grass, crimson falling from every wound. Her eyes noticed her attacker a few paces away. She held herself on the ground, until her attacker was close enough. Then she sent a few throwing knives at them.

The knives caught the attacker off guard and pinned them against a tree. They tried to wiggle away but the knives held fast.

Hikari, bleeding profusely, stood weakly. She walked up to her attacker and removed the mask they wore. The face was of a demon boy, younger looking than her. He glared up at her as he spoke, "Kill me."

Hikari was surprised. "Why would I do that? You're still a kid."

"If you don't kill me, I swear I'll kill you."

"Why did you attack me?"

"None of your business."

Hikari sighed. "Listen to me. If you don't answer me, I will hand you over to some people who will question you and they won't be nice about it."

"Kill me first."

Hikari sighed. There was no way to get through to the kid. After sticking a few knives in his clothing to make sure he couldn't move, she pulled out a communicator and called Spirit World.

...

Kumori struggled against the demon the held her by the hair. She reached out the swipe him, but missed. He chuckled loudly.

"Don't bother, little cat. You're going to be coming with me to Demon World. See, we have someone who wants to meet you." Kumori hissed and moved to attack him only to be shaken. "Ah, ah, ah. Can't have any of that."

Kumori glared at the demon holding her up in the air. She knew she was weak and helpless as cat demons were weak when grabbed by the hair. She hung by her hair trying to figure what to do.

A suddenly flash caught her off guard, and a quick swish right above hear head quickly followed. Kumori began falling and as she spun to land on her feet, she saw that all the demon held now was her long braid. Landing safely, she touched her hair to find it back to the original length it used to be before she grew it out.

Spinning around, she saw Hiei on a branch. Realizing what he had done, she glared, a little annoyed, but quickly scrambled out of the way of the demon.

The demon was staring dumbfounded at the long, silver braid in his hand. His eyes narrowed and he looked around for her. Jumping it the air, Kumori attacked his face with her katana, but he reached up and sent a bolt of lightning to hit her. It barely missed, but stunned her as she left a cut on the cheek.

While she was attacking the face, Hiei took one of the demon's arms off in a quick flash, sending blood spurting. The demon howled in pure agony and rage. He charged at Hiei only to receive a quick gash from the fire and ice demon removing his other arm.

The demon fell in agony and panting said, "If I can't take the half-demon to him… Then… at least, I'll take both of you with me to the Spirit World." He turned to get Kumori, but Hiei threw his sword, which flew right through the stomach.

The demon fell and was unable to get up. He howled in defeat and lay down, dying. Kumori eyed him warily before walking out to see him. When she approached, his eyes opened and Kumori could see that he was breathing heavily as he stared at her.

"I am going to ask you a few questions," she stated to him, her voice, icy and harsh.

"Seems fair," the demon replied weakly. "You've defeated me."

Kumori looked down at the demon that was laying in his own blood. She took a deep breath and then asked, "Why? Why did you attack me?"

The demon coughed blood as he spoke, "My brethren and I are from a weak clan… We… were p-promised protection… by a member… of the Aisubachi clan… if… we brought him… the half-demon… granddaughter of… the leader… and killed her… friends."

Kumori hissed, "What?"

"We… couldn't fight… So we… became his puppets… and went to attack you… Didn't expect… you… to be so strong… or to have… such strong demons… nearby…" he chuckled. "I… see now… what a stupidity… that was… Now… I have a… favor to ask of you… my little brother… I can still… sense him alive… Please… don't kill him…" The demon exhaled and closed his eyes, falling silent.

"Wait! Are my friends ok?" The demon didn't respond and Kumori yowled, "You asshole! Tell me if my friends are ok!"

Hiei's hand fell on her shoulder. "You're wasting your breath. He's dead."

Kumori spun around to face him. "It doesn't matter! I need to know!"

Hiei frowned and glared at her. "He is dead. You will not be able to retrieve any information at all now."

Kumori looked back and forth at the two. Her knees buckled and her hands rose to her face. "This is all my fault."

Hiei spoke, "And how will being sorry for yourself help?"

Kumori stilled for a moment. Then she removed her hands and said, "You're right…" She stood, though a few tears had fallen on her face. "We should get to Genkai's." She turned and darted toward the temple.

When they reached the temple, the smell of blood was in the air. Kumori instantly recognized the scents and ran in.

Looking in, she found Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hikari, and Yukina in the main part of the house. Hikari was sitting on the floor, with the paste that Kurama had used on Akira when he found out about her abuse, on her arms, parts of her face, her legs, and her torso. Yukina was tending to her carefully.

"Hey Kumori…" Hikari said, sheepishly as she saw her come in.

"Hikari! What happened?"

Sighing, Hikari answered, "Well… erm… This kid attacked me out of nowhere. I got him and Spirit World's questioning him right now, but he cut me up."

Yukina added, "The weapon was dipped in a plant from Demon World. It keeps her wounds from healing on their own."

Kumori nodded. Looking around for her other friend, she asked, "Is Akira here?"

Yukina nodded, "Yes. Master Genkai and Kurama are treating her right now."

"Is she ok?"

"I don't know. I barely saw her when Kurama came in here with her. I think she's ok, but I didn't see the severity of any wounds she might have had before Kurama and Master Genkai took her upstairs."

Kumori blinked and then sighed, "Okay… I guess we'll just have to wait…"

Outside of the temple...

"Wow… Did you see that?" a voice said, from the forest.

"Shh…" A second voice chastised. "Remember why we are here."

"Of course! I wouldn't dare forget why we were sent here."

* * *

Ending Comments: Well, that was interesting. Anywho... We're going to meet some new peoples next chappie! So excited about that! Anyways, please review!


	22. Chapter 19

Manga Maid's Notes: (Pokes head out to make sure nothing is being thrown) Hello. (Cans go flying) Sorry! I know that I should've updated faster. I am really sorry! I had a busy holiday schedule and haven't been able to write much. Anyways dear readers, I hope you enjoy this chappie as a Christmas gift. Much love and hugs to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, Akari Tsubasa, Athena of wisdom, ninja enchantress, Grave Requiem, RainingJellyBeans, Titch-ola, Sunflame of Rainclan, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , MarieAntonia, PiNkBuN17, AmoreVampiresv-v, AnimeWriterTycoonGirl, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91, Angel of Randomosity, maru101, Smiling Crazy, Okina Reika, White Rose Fox, Miorochi, eragon1228, hikariserenity, Mihakaku, Fumiko Hewley, AnimeFan1000, kurobunnyalice, XxXfiction, Rukax7x, Shadowsammy. Wow... O.O *Blinks* Thanks everyone! Anywho enjoy!

* * *

Koenma changed into his teenage form while he walked down a hall, as his mind replaying the three fights he had just seen. It couldn't be possible. He turned to George. "Call Botan to me. I need her to come with me."

"Yes sir," George said. Saluting, he turned and ran down the hall.

Koenma stood impatiently as he waited. After about 15 minutes, Botan appeared, running towards him. "Koenma sir! What's going on?"

"Botan, we have to go," Koenma answered. Turning, he called a portal.

"Where are we going?" Botan asked.

"Genkai's…"

"But why?"

"I'll explain there."

At Genkai's...

Kumori sat down on the floor next to Hikari, staring at her as Yukina healed her. Her eyes trailed over all the wounds that were covering her friend's body. Guilt touched her heart. Kurama and Genkai hadn't come out to explain about Akira's condition either, which worried her.

She looked around the room. Yusuke and Kuwabara had gotten bored and gone over to the T.V. to play a game and Hiei had gone to the window to nap. She went back to watching her friend when a bright light entered the room.

Everyone except Hiei turned to see Koenma and Botan enter the temple. As they entered, Koenma looked around, restlessly. His dark brown eyes searched every corner of the room.

"Hey Pacifier-breath!" Yusuke called. "What're doing here?"

Koenma didn't answer. He still stared around. "Where's Akira?"

"Huh?" Yusuke asked. "She's with Fox-boy and Grandma. Why do you want to know?"

Kumori looked up at Koenma. "What's going on?"

Koenma didn't answer again, but Hiei's eyes shot open and he turned to the Prince of Spirit World. Everyone noticed this and stared at Koenma, even Botan.

Yukina asked, "Is Akira all right?"

"She's fine," Koenma said, quickly, not looking them in the face.

Kumori's eyes narrowed. "I'm not buying that. What's going on?"

Everyone stared at Koenma expectant. He wouldn't look at them. Ignoring them, he began to walk away.

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled, rushing up and grabbing the Prince by his red cape. "Answer the damn question!" Kuwabara and Hiei stood as well while Yusuke shoved Koenma into a wall.

Koenma looked at all the faces and sighed, "Very well. I'll explain."

"Well, start talking!" Yusuke barked.

"I decided to check on you three," Koenma said, nodding at Kumori and Hikari. "I saw all three fights and, well… I'm here with Botan to take Akira to Spirit World."

"What?" Hikari yelped.

"That doesn't make sense!" Kuwabara said, "I felt her energy. It was weak when Kurama rushed in with her, sure. But she was still alive!"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah!"

"Did any of you see her wounds directly?" Koenma asked.

"Well no…"

"The demon that attacked her and Kurama stabbed her in the heart. No human can survive that," Koenma said.

"Hey! I did!" Yusuke said, indignant.

"Yes… But you have demon blood in your veins, remember?" Koenma shot back. "Akira's lineage is pure human. She has a few psychics in her bloodline, but no demonic ancestors to speak of."

Kumori stared in shock, her eyes widened and her face growing grim. She stood, staring at Koenma.

Hikari asked, almost silent, "Koenma… Are you sure?"

Koenma nodded. "I saw it. I am positive."

Turning on her heel, Kumori dashed out of the temple. Her ice-blue eyes flared in anger as she dashed out. When she reached a spot in the woods, she took out her katana and began slashing at the trees.

Inside the temple…

Hikari stared, tears filling her eyes. Closing her eyes and looking away, tears began falling down her face. Yukina's tear gems clinked on the floor while Yusuke and Kuwabara stared at Koenma dumbfounded. Botan's eyes were leaking tears as fast as she was creating them. Hiei quietly left the room.

Koenma sighed, "Look. I'm sorry to announce it this way. But I really do need to get her soul. Could you show me where she is?"

Yusuke nodded and let Koenma down. Walking away, he said, "Follow me."

With Kurama and Genkai…

Kurama smeared some paste onto Akira's wound as Genkai checked her vitals yet again. His jade eyes watched carefully as Genkai checked both the pulse on Akira's wrist and the one on her neck. Finally, he asked, "What is it Genkai?"

"It's strange…" Genkai said. She chuckled, "I must be going senile. I could have sworn a few minutes ago I felt a heartbeat and felt her breathe. But there's nothing now."

Kurama looked sadly down at his friend. Akira's peaceful face looked as if she was asleep, rather than dead.

A knock on the door caused both he and Genkai to look up. Genkai said, "Who is it?"

The door entered and Koenma walked in, everyone following close behind him. "It's me."

Genkai sighed, "Koenma… I should've known. I guess you're here to retrieve Akira's soul."

"Yeah…" Koenma said. He looked at the lifeless body and then looked around, confused. "I don't see the soul though. I'll check to see if she's still alive." He knelt next to Kurama and placed a hand on Akira's stomach. It began glowing and after a few moments his eyes widened. "It can't be."

Everyone looked at him. "What's going on?" Kuwabara asked.

"Akira's soul… It's gone… And yet… her body's still functioning, except… her heartbeat… No… It's not possible."

Yusuke asked, "What's not possible?"

"Akira, Kumori, and Hikari have been working as temporary Spirit Detectives for me. After the whole mishap with Sensui and misinformation on your heritage, Yusuke, I tracked all three of their heritages. As I told you before, Akira is pure human. There are no drops of demon blood that could save her life. But her heart is beating like a demon's. That's not possible. And as for her soul, I can't find it. It's not in her body at all."

Hikari asked, "Wait… Akira's alive?"

"Her body is…" Koenma replied.

"I'm going to tell Kumori," Hikari said, turning and leaving.

With Kumori…

Kumori slice another tree in rage. Breathing hard and sweating, she looked up at the sky and screamed. Her scream turned into a sob and she fell to the ground. Her body shook as tears rolled down her face and she hugged herself.

She knew crying wasn't going to bring her friend back, but she couldn't help it. Akira was like her little sister. Her tears fell to the ground, creating a soft part of the ground. While she was crying, she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

She didn't have to look up to know who had touched her shoulder. She tried to stop her cries, but they forced their way out. Wiping at her eyes, she turned to look at Hiei. Her ice blue met his crimson and she looked down, embarrassed.

"Kumori!" a faint voice called.

Both turned to see Hikari running to them. Hiei quickly removed his hand as Hikari approached. Kumori looked at her friend, "Hikari? What's going on?"

Hikari stopped and rushed out, "Akira is alive!"

Kumori stared, "What?"

"She's alive! Come on! See!" Grabbing Kumori, Hikari practically dragged her back to the temple. Stopping in front of the door to the temple, she released Kumori.

Kumori looked at her, surprised. "Wait… what did you say?"

"Akira's alive! Well, Koenma said her body is… He was saying something about her soul missing… Hey! Wait up!" Hikari yelled as she followed Kumori who was already walking ahead.

Kumori walked quickly until she reached the door that held all the scents of her friends. Stopping at the door, she heard muttering. Listening closely, she heard Koenma speaking.

"It's not possible… I don't understand it…"

Kumori opened the door, with Hikari following after, "What's going on?"

Koenma turned. "Kumori!" he said, surprised. "What do you-!"

Kumori wasn't going to be distracted. "What's going on, Koenma. Hikari told me that Akira's alive?"

Koenma blinked, surprised and nodded. "Well, yes. But I don't understand it. Her heart's beating at a demon's pace. She doesn't have any demon blood, and well…"

Kumori was quiet for a moment and then sighed, "Has anyone besides me, Hikari, and Akira read Mitsuko's damned diary?"

Genkai closed her eyes as a no and Yukina shook her head.

"You mean that old book full of squiggles that Akira carries around sometimes?" Yusuke asked. "I tried reading it but all there was were useless squiggles." Kuwabara nodded.

Kumori frowned, "So no one read it?"

Koenma's expression soured, "You know I have."

"Did you read it cover to cover?"

"Well… no…"

"And you, fox," Kumori turned to Kurama. "You never read it?"

"I admit, I was curious," Kurama said. "But I felt it violated privacy to read it."

Kumori exhaled, annoyed. She walked over to Kurama and, without warning, flicked him on the nose. Kurama covered his nose instantly and he shot a half-glare, half-irritated look at Kumori.

She didn't notice however as she grabbed Akira's bag and rummaging through it, she pulled out Mitsuko's diary. Looking through it, she found a certain page that had been marked previously and handed it to Kurama. "Read that!"

Kurama's eyes flashed in surprise as he read the page. When he finished, he murmured, "Amazing…" Looking up at Kumori, he asked, "So the Heart can stop Akira from dying?"

Koenma, Genkai, and Yukina looked up. Koenma asked, "What?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara stared stunned. "Wait… You mean you can understand those weird squiggles Kurama?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama nodded. "They are in an ancient dialect from Demon World. I learned it several centuries ago." He turned to Kumori, "I'm surprised you three can understand it."

"Akira would ask us to help her when she didn't understand something. We picked it up quickly," Hikari answered.

Kumori nodded. "And to answer your question, sort of. It doesn't stop her from dying if she's mortally wounded alone. Just when other things are around so…" She cut off and asked, "Wait… The person who attacked you both is dead, right?" Kurama nodded and Kumori burst out laughing. "Oh man!"

"What's so funny?" Yusuke asked.

Kumori coughed, composing herself. "It's just… Well… Let's put it this way. Kurama's vitals aren't just working for him anymore." Everyone stared at Kumori. She sighed, "Well… how to put this… Kurama's heart and lungs are working for two people. Him and… Akira. Also, the Heart might've made it so they have a mind bond. I'm not sure…"

Everyone had different reactions. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan's eyes widened, Yukina looked curiously between Kurama and Akira, Genkai's eyes closed as she began to think, Kurama's eyebrows lifted, and Koenma started, "That Heart can do all that?"

Hikari spoke, "Only on certain conditions. I guess this met them."

"But what about her soul?" Botan asked.

Kumori and Hikari shrugged. "The Heart, I guess, is guarding it at the moment," Kumori said. "Mitsuko never specified what would happen. We'll just have to see if she wakes up."

With Akira...

Akira felt like she was in bath water. It felt so nice, so peaceful. Suddenly remembering what had happened to her, she sat up, finding herself in a river that was unlike any she had ever seen. Looking around, she saw a woman with long dark hair and piercing violet-blue eyes.

Stunned, she asked, "Mitsuko?"

The energy apparition smiled with a soft light. Her voice answered, "Hello, Akira…"

Akira, surprised, looked around. "This doesn't look like Spirit World."

"It's not."

"Then, where am I?"

Mitsuko smiled, a little sadly. "You're in the Heart."

Blinking in shock, Akira stared at the previous owner. "Are your serious?"

"Yes…" Mitsuko said, nodding. "This is what I've made it."

"You made it…? I don't understand."

"I never went to Spirit World, Akira," Mitsuko said, sadly.

"What do you mean 'you never made it to Spirit World'?"

Mitsuko sighed, "That curse on the Heart… It did more than just prevent anyone else from having the Heart… It trapped my soul inside it."

"What?"

"Walk with me?" Mitsuko asked. Akira nodded and stood. Both began walking among the forest and Mitsuko continued, "It's true. I'm stuck here. This world is made of memories of mine. But it's empty, hollow. I need to be free."

"But… I don't understand. You've been stuck in the Heart?"

"Well… sort of… You see, I can hear things outside, but I can't see outside my little world."

"That must stink…"

"You have no idea," Mitsuko smiled.

"So, you need to get out. What can I do?"

"Well…" Mitsuko said, hesitant. "You are the way I can get out… You have a crush on… Kurama, correct?"

Akira's cheeks flared. "You know about that?"

Mitsuko laughed, "I know many things about you, dear. Well… You need to give it to him. If he accepts it and the Heart fulfills its purpose, it will shatter and I'll be free… Which reminds me… I have a warning for you."

"A warning?"

"Yes… The curse had a nasty after-effect that I didn't know of until it was too late."

"What sort of after-effect?"

"Well… The Heart picked up that you fell in love… and well, the after-effect is… You have a time limit to when you give him the Heart."

"Time limit?"

"Yes… You have until approximately a year from now. Maybe a few more months, maybe less. It's set to that date because it will be around the season I died, and you will be the age I appeared, 19."

"Ok…" Akira said, nodding. "And if I don't make it?"

"If you do not make it… The Heart will steal your soul and trap it like it did mine, and you will have to set the curse on someone else."

"What?" Akira said, shocked, stopping in her tracks.

Mitsuko was silent and looked up at the sky. Akira could hear soft murmuring as if the sky was talking, but she didn't understand. Sighing, Mitsuko said, "It seems I will have to send you back." She looked at Akira and she began to fade. As she did, she said, "Don't forget…"

"Wait!" Akira said, as everything faded to black. She realized that her eyes were closed and that she had some pain in her chest.

"Do you think she can hear us?" Yukina's voice asked.

Kumori replied, "Don't know. Akira? You back yet?"

Akira willed herself to open her eyes though she felt so tired. Blinking, she saw people looking down at her. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"The sky," Kumori said, smirking.

"Um… ok…" Akira said, blinking tiredly.

"You're back!" Hikari grinned and hugged her.

"Sort of…" Kumori amended, smiling. She hugged her friend on the other side tightly and then said, "You look worried. Something happen?"

Akira nodded, weakly. Her eyes were drooping and she looked like she was going to sleep again. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she dozed as her friends let her go.

Genkai spoke, "She needs rest. What ever happened to her soul tired her out. I'm guessing that you're going to go back to Spirit World, Koenma?"

Koenma nodded, "I'll be back in a while. Come on Botan." A portal appeared and both of the, disappeared into it.

After they left, Genkai took over, "Kurama. Yukina. Stay close by, in case I need you to help me if anything happens. Kumori and Hikari, you may stay if you would like. Rest of you, out."

Yusuke complained, "What the hell Grandma! You let them stay but not us?"

"Because dimwit, you make too much noise."

Hikari said, "I'll go outside. It'll be a long wait. Coming Kumori?"

Kumori nodded. Standing up, she followed Hikari out. Soon after, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama followed them. When they were outside, Kumori noticed Hiei sitting up in his spot in his tree.

"So… What happened?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke nodded, "Yeah… I mean Hikari, you come here looking like you came from a slasher movie, Kurama, you come barging in with Akira barely alive, and Kumori, I don't even know what the fuck happened with you."

Kumori sighed, "My clan happened."

Everyone except Hiei turned to look at her. "Your clan was involved?" Kurama asked.

Kumori nodded. She began explaining, "As Kurama knows, my mom comes from the Aisubachi clan."

"Hold up!" Yusuke said, "I've never heard of this Aisubachi clan. Who or what the hell are they?"

It surprised him and Kuwabara when Hiei answered, "Hn. They are a clan of black cat demons who live on the outskirts of Alaric. They are cutthroats, known for their power and strength among the other clans around them."

"Woah…" Kuwabara said, staring at Kumori.

Yusuke stared as well. "No way. Your mom comes from Alaric?"

"Hey! I didn't know that!" Kumori said. She muttered, "Though that does explain why Alaric was so familiar when I first heard of it."

"Anyways," Kuwabara said, "What does your clan have to do with this?"

Kumori sighed, "They're the ones who attacked Hikari, Akira, and me."

Hikari asked, "But why did they attack us?"

A cool female voice answered, "Simple. Because most of our clan does not want a half-breed to lead us if her mother is chosen to be leader."

The group spun around to the forest to see three demons standing before them. Two were female, one male. One of the females looked about 4'6". She had sharp gold eyes and her hair was a dark brown with lighter brown tips. Out of her head poked black cat ears and she had a black tail. She looked about 12. The other female was 4'5", looked about 16, had piercing green eyes, knee-length black hair, and she also had black cat ears and a black tail. The male was tall, about 5'9", looking about 19, with the same golden eyes though they were much warmer than the 12 year old's. He looked battle-worn as if he had been in many fights. His hair was black with gold tips and he too had black ears and a tail.

Kumori hissed and Hikari growled as they saw the intruders. Kurama's eyes narrowed, pulling out a rose, Hiei jumped down, prepared for battle, Kuwabara pulled out his Spirit Sword, and Yusuke turned quickly.

"Hello! Who the fuck are you?" Yusuke yelled.

Kumori spoke, "Members of my clan."

"Ah, so she know members of the clan when she sees them. That's a good sign," the 12-year-old said, appraisingly. The other two nodded in agreement, watching the group with cautiousness.

Kumori hissed, grabbing their attention at once. "What are you doing here? And after you attack my friends?"

The 12-year-old didn't react. She just watched with an almost stone-like gaze. The male blinked in surprise, his eyes confused, while the other female watched Kumori still cautious.

Kumori's face soured and growled low in her throat. Kurama cut her off, "I apologize for her behavior. We are a bit wary of strangers. We realize you are from the Aisubachi clan, but who are you and why do you come here?"

The male, Leo, spoke. "I am Kuroleo, but I prefer Leo. That one…" He pointed to the 12 year old, "Is Nobi. This one is…"

"Talim." The second female answered.

Everyone looked at them. As they looked at all three, Kuwabara noticed Nobi and Talim's height, and said, "Hey look! There are people who are shorter than Kumori and the shrimp!"

Nobi's eyes narrowed. "Listen human, I may not be able to kill you, but be warned: If you ever make another remark on my height again, I will not hesitate to make the rest of your life a hellhole."

"Nobi!" Talim said. "You know we can't do that."

Nobi frowned, "I know. But I did not come here to be antagonized about my height."

Leo spoke before Talim could future remark, "To answer your question, we are here to assess the daughter of Aisu, our future leader, at a request from Aisu's brother, Niero."

Kumori growled, "And why do you want to assess me?"

"Because," Nobi said, "our leader, your grandfather, banned you for eighteen years and caused contention among the clan. That time has passed and we need to see how strong you are. If you are strong enough to lead the clan, then we can end all this fighting. Muerte, your mother's cousin, is the other choice for the throne." Leo and Talim nodded.

"So, wait," Yusuke said. "You're here to check on Kumori? Then why the hell did you attack her, Akira, and Hikari?"

Talim's eyes widened in shock, "You were attacked?"

Kurama's eyes flashed. "You had no idea?"

"No…" Leo said. He murmured, "It must have been Muerte."

Nobi spoke quietly, but it was venomous. "Muerte should be killed for this. Secrets are not to be kept among the clan. It could destroy us. Next thing we know, he'll go after our leader."

Yusuke said, "You seem so sure that it was this Muerte guy."

"Yeah!" Kuwabara said, "I mean, how do you know it is this guy?"

"Because fool," Hiei said. "It is not uncommon for demons to eliminate any competition, no matter how large or small of a threat they pose. They also tend to eliminate any signs of weakness." Kumori shot both of them death-glares.

Leo spoke, "Yes. Now, I swear to you, on my life, that we mean no harm. Perhaps we could take this discussion somewhere else?"

Yusuke said, "Fine. Whatever. But if you guys try anything funny, I'll kick your asses."

All three nodded and followed the group inside to the dining room. Genkai was sitting at the table with Yukina. The three cat demons looked around the place.

Genkai looked at the three demons entering with the group. "Who are you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

Leo asked, "Are you Master Genkai?" When she nodded slightly, he bowed. "We mean no harm ma'am. We only come to study Kumori."

"Ah, so you're from the Aisubachi clan…"

Nobi turned, "You were expecting us?"

"No…" Kumori said. "I was."

All three looked at each other, quite amazed. Talim grinned, while Leo smiled slightly, and Nobi's face held no reaction.

Kumori rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Genkai?" she asked. "Is Akira still asleep?"

Yukina nodded her head. "She's hasn't budged."

Genkai however stood. "We should go check on her though. Come on Yukina."

Yukina nodded and as they left, Nobi's brow furrowed. "Akira? Who is Akira?"

Kumori answered, "A friend."

Nobi looked like she wanted a better answer, but Leo put his hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he shook his head. Nobi shrugged, but she began mumbling about how secrets should not be kept from the clan.

Yusuke said, "Anyways, why did you guys come here? I mean, I know you came to study Kumori and all that crap for her uncle, but why?"

Talim spoke, "Because we support her."

Yusuke and Kuwabara blinked. Kuwabara asked, "What do you mean?"

Nobi began to talk. "We don't all support her, but if we find her worthy, we can persuade people in the clan to at hear her out. I'm a daughter of Aisu and Niero's younger brother. Leo and Talim are distant cousins of ours."

Kumori blinked. "Really? Wow…"

Leo nodded. "Didn't your mother teach you about any of this?"

"No… I mean I knew there was a clan and stuff. But I don't know any of the member's names," Kumori said, looking surprised.

Yusuke said, "Well, not that this isn't all fun, but, as you guys seem ok, I gotta go. I'll see you all later. Coming Kuwabara?"

"Nah, Urameshi. I think I may stay here for a little while. Just in case."

"Whatever. Suit yourself," Yusuke said, shrugging. He turned and went to leave.

Nobi called after Yusuke. "I'm surprised you're so laidback about us only after knowing us for a short period of time. You may be the son of Raizen, but you must be a person who needs to learn how to think ahead."

Yusuke's temper flared. He spun. "What did you say?"

Nobi's eyes were calm. "Think about it, son of Raizen. Haven't you noticed that your two demon friends have been watching us very carefully? They're making sure that we are telling the truth. You were their leader once. I figured that you would've done the same thing. It only makes sense."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "Listen, I could kick your ass if I wanted to."

Leo intervened, getting in front of Nobi, speaking to Yusuke, "We didn't come here to fight. That was Nobi's way of giving advice."

"Advice?" Yusuke yelled. "That was advice? Could've fooled me! She sure has a crappy way of giving it!"

Talim looked between both Leo and Yusuke. "C'mon, Nobi didn't mean offense! That's the way we give advice!"

Yusuke glared but muttered, "Whatever."

Kurama spoke, drawing the threesome's attention. "I'm curious. You are from the Aisubachi clan, so what can you tell us about this Muerte?"

Hikari nodded, "Yeah! And if Kumori's his target, why did he attack me and Akira?"

Leo sighed, "Muerte is the power-hungry nephew of our leader. He believes that anyone who is not pure cat demon, like Kumori and I, in our clan should be made to work as slaves for the pure."

Kumori blinked, "Wait… You're not full cat?"

"No…" Leo said, "I'm a tri-blood. My father is a hawk demon and my mother is half-human half cat-demon like you. Anyways, Muerte believes that the only worthy people are pure cat demon, which quite frankly is a brainless notion…"

"Because most are some other demon or something," Talim said.

Leo nodded, "Yes. Anyways… Muerte has been after the leader's position since before your mother even conceived you. But after you were conceived, someone found out and let it slip that your mother had been sharing a bed with a human and now carried his child. Your grandfather sent your mother away, but it was a quiet affair. The clan just thought that Aisu had gone into hiding to protect her child from Muerte. But after she brought you back to our leader, everyone found out and Muerte found his chance.

"After your mother left with you, her position as next leader now temporary, Muerte spoke to the clan on how we should never have allowed humans to desecrate us. He spoke on how the human race was a poison that now had defiled our next leader and the only thing to do was to remove her and obliterate the one thing that tied her to humans."

"Me," Kumori said, looking down.

Leo nodded, "Exactly. Anyways about four years ago, your mother returned to the clan. Muerte challenged her and lost miserably. If your mother wasn't so merciful, Muerte would be dead. When the clan saw that, they knew that bearing a half-human child hadn't done anything to her strength and it has been decided that she will be the next leader after your grandfather steps down. But Muerte hasn't given up. He knows that since you have some human blood, you will inevitably be weaker than your mother."

Kumori hissed, "So?

Nobi frowned and spoke before Leo could even speak. "So… There are whispers among the clan that Muerte is out for your life. No one else is after the spot of leader, so it is either you or him. If you are killed beforehand, he will be the only choice for the throne."

Everyone was silent as they took in the ominous news. Then Kuwabara asked, "Well, if Muerte _is_ after Kumori, why'd he go after Hikari and Akira?"

Kurama spoke, "Because, Kuwabara, they would have gotten in the way."

"I know that! I meant why didn't he go after us?"

Yusuke blinked, "Yeah… Kuwabara's got a point. We're more of a threat than Akira or Hikari…" He turned to Hikari and Kumori, who were glaring. "No offense. But, they came after them." While everyone looked at him, he said, looking at Kurama, "I mean, Kumori's lived with your family for a year, Kurama, and she's spent a lot of time with us. Why didn't they attack us? I thought they would've gone after you or Hiei since you two spent so much time with her."

Hiei spoke, a bit annoyed, "Because, detective, I keep my personal life private."

Kurama nodded, "I do as well, Yusuke. It could threaten people if we had connections to them. Isn't that why you rarely mention Keiko to others?"

"Oh… yeah." Yusuke looked sheepish.

Nobi shook her head. "They have a point though. Muerte has spies everywhere. My father informed me he has information on Kumori following since the time she was two years old."

Kumori hissed, "He _what_?" Everyone glanced at her angry face. She snapped, "Hey! How would you feel if you were in my position?"

Nobi continued, "Anyways, he knows virtually knows everything about her. If she's been spending a lot of time with you all, he'd know."

Kurama nodded, "Perhaps he just wants your clan involved."

Yusuke turned to Kurama, "Ok, fox boy. You lost me."

"Yusuke, think about it," Kurama said. "You rule over Tourin, I work as second in command for Yomi who rules over Gendar, and Hiei is to take over Alaric after Mukuro. An attack on any one of us would be calling for war against an entire land."

Yusuke blinked, "Never thought about that."

Hiei scoffed, "Hn. That's obvious."

Kurama spoke, before Yusuke could reply. "I doubt Muerte would want to anger any of the Three Kings, besides if he attacked, Enki might get involved and I am sure that he wouldn't want the ruler of all Demon World to be involved in this mix-up, especially with Enki's rules of not attacking humans. Also, Kumori has lived with Hikari and Akira for a long period of time. I suppose Muerte was hoping their deaths would weigh on Kumori and weaken her." He turned to Leo, Nobi, and Talim. "Does that sound correct?"

They nodded. Kumori looked infuriated. She swore and then said, "There's one thing I wanted to ask too. The demon that talked to me said that he and his brothers became Muerte's puppets to fight. Do you have any ideas as to what that means?"

Leo's brow furrowed, "Did the demon move very well?"

"Yeah… But what does that have to do with anything?" Kumori asked.

Leo swore, while Nobi stared. Talim turned to Nobi, "I thought the leader made sure there was nothing of it left! I thought it was supposed to be gone!"

"It was supposed to," Nobi said. "It _should _have!"

"What?" Kumori asked.

Leo answered, "There is a plant concoction from Demon World. It submits a willing person's mind to a master. Our clan is known for being able to, since it grew around our home, tap into it and control a person's body. Granted, we can control people without the plant, but it's easier, smoother, if we use it. But your great-grandfather destroyed it before he stepped down."

"Why?"

Leo was quiet as he spoke, "Because, it can be used over a non-willing participant. It doesn't take over the body, mind you, but it does let the user have control over a person's mind. It can make them hallucinate. See things like their worst fears or greatest joys. Your great-great-uncle, your great-grandfather's brother, used it on your great-grandmother. She thought she was alone. He was going to rape her if your grandfather hadn't stepped in. He blinded his uncle, snapping the connection and saved his mother. When your great grandfather found out, he was infuriated. He killed his brother, destroyed the plant, and forbade its use. We thought it was gone."

Talim muttered, "Until now."

Yusuke blinked, "You mean he's got a plant which he shouldn't even have in the first place. And he's trying to kill your friends to get to you. Damn Kumori, that's one hell of a cousin you have."

Kumori didn't seem to hear him. Shaking with anger, she snarled, "That Bastard-Dick! I'm going to kill him! I wouldn't mind if he attacked me, but now…"

Yusuke placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned surprised. Yusuke said, "Hey, don't worry about it. We're with you 100 percent of the way." He turned to the others. "Right guys?"

Kuwabara nodded. "Right!"

Kurama smiled, "Of course."

Hiei just 'hn'ed and turned away, but Kumori knew it was a 'yes'.

Hikari spoke. "Don't forget about me and Akira! We're always with you!"

Leo said, "Nobi, Talim, and I came to help you as well. We'll help you in whatever way we can."

Kumori sighed, "Fine, you three can help me." She then turned to her friends, "But not you guys! I am _not_ going to involve you guys in this! No! Nononononono… NO!" She pointed at Hikari. "You and Akira almost died! I'm not going to let anyone else get involved and suffer because of me!"

Kurama started, "Kumori…"

"No Kurama! I won't let you guys get involved!"

Yusuke said, "Oh right! Like you could tell us what to do!"

Hikari said, "Kumori! We're friends! You've been there for Akira and you've been there for me. Now it's our turn to be there for you. And don't even think about arguing it, because Akira's going to agree me and we'll overrule you!"

Kumori was upset. She said, "Don't you understand! I don't want you involved! Muerte tried to _kill _two of you already! I don't want that to happen!"

Hikari spoke, "Doesn't matter. You're important to us, Kumori. We don't want you to die either."

Yusuke added, "Besides, it's been a while since I've been able to kick some ass!"

Kumori and Hikari blinked, stared at Yusuke for a moment, and then began to laugh.

...

Muerte sat in his chair, holding a glass filled with red liquid. "So," he asked the man sitting in front of him. "How'd it go?"

"They all failed. The child is now in questioning by Spirit World."

"Hmm… But the child and the second brother have injured their opponents, correct?"

"Yes… But what does that mean sir?"

"It means that they are contaminated by that concoction that Basten made. It means I can toy with the inner workings of those two irksome girls' mind. Fetch me Basten. When they least expect it, we're going to let those girls have the worst nightmares that they can never wake up from."

* * *

Ending Comments: Yep. That was that. Anywho... I brought some people out say hello.

Neko: Hi!

Briar: Hello.

Manga Maid: Ok... Well then... Yeah! I brought the two twins who are demon of my heart and mind out to say hello. Anyways... Thanks for being patient with me.

Neko: Fox!

Manga Maid: What?

Neko: You need to get to work on the next chapter!

Briar: Like you can talk.

Neko: Hey! At least I don't crash my computer.

Briar: Not my fault technology hates me!

Manga Maid (Watching as twins begin to fight): Er... Peoples? Can we please not fight? (Watches as they continue) Sigh... I knew they hung out with Hiei too much. (A vase nearly hits head) Ok! So... I'm gonna go get advice from Kurama on how to stop them... Anyways, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays! Please review! (Runs off) KURAMA! HELP!


	23. Chapter 20

Manga Maid's Notes: Ok, first off... I AM SOOOOOOOOO SORRY! I know this is a poor excuse, but I had LIFE! It snuck up on me! Plus, I had family stuff, and another birthday (I got old) and friendship issues and frustrations and problems and a whole lot of junk... Plus I've been waiting on people for a while and I've been helping another fanfic writer get started on here. So, anywho, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I am SO SO sorry! Please, please forgive me! I am soooooo sorry!

Thanks to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, Akari Tsubasa, Athena of wisdom, ninja enchantress, Grave Requiem, RainingJellyBeans, Titch-ola, Sunflame of Rainclan, kiss2lips, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, , MarieAntonia, PiNkBuN17, AmoreVampiresv-v, AnimeWriterTycoonGirl, Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91, Angel of Randomosity, maru101, Smiling Crazy, Okina Reika, White Rose Fox, Miorochi, eragon1228, hikariserenity, Mihakaku, Fumiko Hewley, AnimeFan1000, kurobunnyalice, XxXfiction, Rukax7x, Shadowsammy, Kikyou Minamino, 21, Lizzie-Lizzard, SilverMoonKitty, Jemmagirl, KuramaEnzanBlues, Gaara'sLover95, PyroKitsune, Maxim0

Thanks also to my editors, demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori!

Now on with the ficceh!

* * *

Akira opened her eyes, rubbing them slightly. She looked around and found herself alone in a room she recognized as one of Genkai's guest rooms. Pushing herself up, she felt a slight jolt of pain in her chest. Looking down she noticed a bloodstained hole in her shirt and some paste on her chest that Akira faintly remembered from three years ago when Hikari and Kurama had seen her injured by her sister's hand.

Standing up, she looked around for an extra shirt, but sadly, found none. Looking at her shirt she frowned. Finally, she shook her head and decided to ignore it. Walking around the inside of the temple, she found it empty.

She then opened the door to step outside, where she found all four boys sparring. Kumori was sitting with Hikari, Yukina, and… three people she didn't recognize, watching the match. Genkai was sitting a little distance away, probably refereeing or watching to give her form of advice when they were finished.

Kumori looked over and her grin grew in relief as she saw her friend walking over. When Akira reached the small group, Hikari glomped her friend before she could say anything. After being released, Kumori said, "You finally woke up!"

Yukina smiled, "I'm so glad you're awake!"

Akira smiled and nodded. "Erm… When I got up, I noticed the wound in my chest. Care to tell me how I survived?"

"Well…" Kumori said, "Let's just say that the Heart did its little trick you read about."

Akira blinked. "Little trick…? Oh! You mean that right now my heart isn't beating on its own? Well, that explains a lot. Um… Who-?"

Kumori answered before she could ask the question. "Kurama."

Akira's cheeks flared. "Well, that's a little embarrassing. Anyways, who're these people?"

"My cousins." Kumori gestured at each one. "This is Leo, Nobi, and Talim. This is Akira."

Nobi's eyebrows rose. "You're human."

Akira nodded. "Yes… Is there a problem with that?"

Nobi shrugged and turned away not answering. She just looked back to the fight, seemingly uninterested with what was going on around her.

Akira looked at her two friends, confused. Both just looked at her confused as well. Akira shrugged and looked at the other two.

Leo smiled at her, encouragingly, "Hello, Akira. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Talim grinned at her. "Hi. It's nice to meet you!"

Akira smiled back and said, "Hello." She turned to Kumori, "So… What did I miss?"

"A lot." Hikari said, grinning.

Akira sweat-dropped. "How much is a lot?"

Kumori shrugged, "Oh not much. We just found out that your vitals are now attached to Kurama's, my cousins came here to study me, I have a shit-face bastard cousin who is the reason you nearly died and who is after me."

"Oh… _That_ a lot," Akira said.

"Yep," Hikari said, nodding.

"So why are they sparring?" Akira asked.

Kumori answered, "Cause, Yusuke is an idiot and can't take 'no' for an answer."

Akira blinked. "O…kay? Care to explain?"

Hikari said, "Well, Kumori doesn't want us to get involved with her cousin, since we both nearly died and all and Kurama, Yusuke, and I made it apparent that we weren't going to leave it alone."

Akira watched Kumori's face, which had suddenly turned sour. Deciding to change the subject, she turned to Yukina. "Er, Yukina?"

Yukina looked at Akira, smiling softly. "Yes?"

"Who's fighting who? Or is it a battle royal?"

"Well, it's on teams. Yusuke and Kazuma are fight Kurama and Hiei," Yukina said, looking at Akira.

Akira nodded, watching the fighting. She felt a little nauseous as she watched, her stomach curling, even though there was no blood. Shaking it off, she continued to watch until Genkai stood.

"That's enough!" she said.

The four boys stopped. Hiei sheathed his katana and disappeared off, somewhere.

Kuwabara, the first to look at the girls, noticed Akira sitting along with them. He ran over to them and said, "Akira! You're ok!"

"Hey Kuwabara," Akira said, smiling. "Yeah. I'm ok. No dead corpse here."

Kumori muttered under her breath, darkly, "Yet." No one, however, noticed.

Yusuke came up next. He smirked, "Hell of a scare you gave us. Pacifier Breath said you were dead." Looking over Akira, he whistled low. "Nice choice of clothes by the way."

Akira blinked and then realized Yusuke was looking at her chest, where the hole in her shirt was. She folded her arms, covering the hole. She aimed a kick that would've connected with his groin had he not moved out of the way. "You perv!"

Kurama, who had come up right behind Yusuke, reprimanded him. "Yusuke, that wasn't polite." He then turned to Akira and smiled, "Welcome back."

Akira blushed and turned away, looking embarrassed. "Thank you…"

Kumori suddenly grinned and began to sing. "Kurama and Akira, sitting in a tree. K-I-!" Her song was cut short as Akira slammed her hand over Kumori's mouth. Kumori looked at her and her voice was muffled as she made an indignant noise.

Akira's eyes were closed in irritation. "Kumori, I'm going to kill you."

Kurama looked at Kumori. "It seems you've been rubbing off on Akira."

Kumori looked at him confused. "Eh? What do you mean?"

Kurama looked confused. "Didn't you hear her?"

Everyone stared at Kurama. Kuwabara asked, "Um… Kurama, are you feeling ok?"

Yusuke asked, " Yeah man. I mean, Akira didn't say anything."

Kumori looked at Akira, then to Kurama, and back to Akira. She then fell to the ground, laughing. Everyone stared at her. She snickered, "Oh man, I knew it! You two have a mind bond!" She kept laughing as Akira glared at her.

"It's not funny, Kumori!" Akira said.

"Yes it is!" Kumori said, grinning.

Kuwabara stared, "Uh… what exactly is going on?"

Hikari explained, "Remember what Kumori said earlier about Kurama's vitals working for Akira, because of what the Demon's Heart did? Well, the Heart also linked their minds. We thought from the diary that it meant you could just sense where a person was. But I guess that means each person can tap into each other's head."

Kuwabara stared, while Yusuke then burst out laughing. "You mean, Kurama can know what she's thinking? That's hilarious!"

Akira's temper flared and suddenly a staff came out of nowhere and whacked Yusuke on the noggin. "It's not funny, you jerk!"

Yusuke stood and rubbed his head. He then asked, "Hey, where'd you get that staff?"

Genkai rolled her eyes. "That's her weapon, you dimwit. While you, Hiei, and Kurama were off in Spirit World, I trained these three to defend themselves. Speaking of which, you three were acting like the dimwit here and didn't defend yourselves. What the hell were you thinking? Didn't I teach you three to always be prepared for whatever happens? But instead, one of you would've died, another is nearly cut to pieces, and the last one is nearly kidnapped!"

Hikari, Akira, and Kumori looked at the ground. They didn't meet her eyes.

Genkai sighed, "Tomorrow, we're going to start you back on your training. Understood?"

All three nodded and said, "Yes, Master."

"Good." She turned to the temple and headed towards it. She stopped at the door, "I'll expect you three here at the crack of dawn. No excuses."

All three nodded. Genkai went inside. After she left, Yusuke stared at them. "You three have been taking lessons from Grandma? What for?"

Kumori snapped, "None of your business!" She turned to her cousins. "So… you're going to assess me?"

Leo smiled, "More or less. Niero also asked us to train you in the ways of the clan. Nobi is to teach you the rules and laws of the clan as she knows them better than any of us here, Talim will teach you the healing our kind can do, and I'm going to teach you the fighting techniques of our clan. We'll begin after we've come to understand you better."

Kumori sighed, "Great… More training."

Nobi watched Kumori, with slight interest in her eyes. Talim smiled. "It won't be that bad. It'll be ok!"

Kumori frowned. "Whatever."

Yukina said, "Not to be rude, but maybe you should get ready for tomorrow."

Hikari nodded, "Yukina's right. We should probably go inside and rest. Today's our last day before Genkai puts us through hell and back, you know."

Akira nodded. "Yeah… Plus, I have to think of a way to explain to Mom…"

They all turned in and walked inside. As they walked in, Yukina excused herself to go off to do something. As she left, Kurama asked, "So… How's school going for you four?"

Kuwabara spoke, "Oh, I'm doing well. One of my teachers said that with the way my grades are going I should be a shoe-in for the university that we're connected to."

Kumori rolled her eyes, "A miracle."

Kuwabara glared at her. "Oh yeah? And what are you going to do, huh? I heard from Keiko who heard from Akira that you weren't planning on going to college, Kumori. What's up with that?"

Kumori glared at Akira. "You told her?"

Akira looked nervous. "Well, you aren't. You told me so yourself. Anyways, it just slipped out. I was talking to Keiko about how lonely college is going to be since Hikari's not going to the same school as me and you're going to not go to college at all."

Kuwabara said, "What're you going to do anyways?"

"None of your business."

Kuwabara yelled, "I swear! You and Shorty are almost exactly alike nowadays! You say things just like him and it really ticks me off!"

The temple door opened. "Jeez, bro. I could hear you from the bottom of the stairs. Keep yelling like that, and I tell you, you're going to blow out a lung."

Everyone turned to see two brunettes in the doorway. One held an unlit cigarette in her hand and the other smiled and waved at them.

Yusuke was the first to speak. "Keiko?" he asked. "What are you and Shizuru doing here?"

Keiko answered, "We came to see Genkai and Yukina. We didn't expect to see you all here. By the way, who are your friends?"

Kumori began to introduce her cousins. "These are my cousins from my mom's side of the family. They came here to assess me. This is Nobi."

Nobi stared at them, but nodded in greeting.

"Talim."

Talim smiled at them and waved. "Hello."

"And Kuroleo. But he goes by Leo."

Leo stared at Shizuru in stunned silence. Shizuru noticed Leo staring at her, looked at him, and she stared back. They looked at each other for several long moments, and then both shared a knowing smirk with each other.

"Shizuru," Leo said, bowing a little. "It's good to see you again."

"Leo," Shizuru nodded. "It's been a long time. I see you're still wearing it."

Everyone stared at them in shock. Everyone's eyes went from Leo, to Shizuru, and back to Leo. Kumori then said, "Wait a minute, wait a minute! You two _know_ each other?"

Leo nodded. "Yes. I met Shizuru a long time ago." He held a small charm up from around his neck. "She gave this to me. I haven't taken off since we met."

"What?" Kuwabara yelled in shock, as he looked as his sister. "You met a demon and you never told me!"

Shizuru lifted the cigarette to her mouth. She said, "Kazuma, if I told you everything that has happened in my life, you'd faint." She lit the cigarette with the lighter she had received from Sakyo. She then exhaled, "Anyways, what were you screaming about?"

Kuwabara looked angry. "Hey! I was not screaming. It just ticks me off that Kumori acts just like Hiei nowadays!"

Shizuru said, "Bro, you just realized that _now_?"

Hikari shook her head, while Akira face-palmed. Kurama bit his thumb, trying not to laugh, while Yusuke stared dumbfounded and Keiko sighed. Nobi, Leo, and Talim all stared at him. Kumori glared.

"I do not!" she hissed, glaring at them.

Kuwabara said, "Aw, face it Kumori. You've become just like him."

"Well, at least I'm not like you! An idiot who's wrapped up in brainless things that aren't going to help them in life!" Kumori snarled.

"Yeah? Well, you turned antisocial and cold! I'm surprised you think you can get on without college! I mean you're going to end up alone!"

Kuwabara instantly regretted his words. Kumori's eyes were overcast and upset. Akira and Hikari instantly froze, looking at Kumori. Instantly, they took several steps back, eyes frightened.

Yusuke noticed their movements and stepped in front of Keiko, protectively. Shizuru and Kurama also took a couple steps back, Kurama putting Hikari and Akira behind him, while Kumori's cousins watched her, cautiously.

Suddenly, Kumori looked up and her eyes were blood red. Her claws and fangs began to lengthen. Her hair shot straight up like a cat's fur when it bristles, and her voice came out in a low snarl. "I'm going to _kill_ you, ningen!"

She charged, rushing Kuwabara. In mere moments, her claws were at his throat, about to sink in to kill when Akira and Hikari both yelled.

"NO!"

Kumori's eyes shot their normal ice blue. She looked around as if taking in her surroundings. Noticing her position, she froze, her face scared. She backed off and looked to the door and took off. As she did, Kuwabara looked after her, surprised and a bit in shock.

Akira and Hikari instantly took off after her. Shizuru, worrying also about her, took off after the silver-haired half demon as well. After they left, Nobi spoke, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Hm… she loses her temper easily," Nobi said, emotionlessly.

Talim said, "But, she did regain herself from that form."

Nobi nodded. "But… that does not mean-"

Yusuke said, "Hello! That was your cousin there! Why the fuck aren't you going after her?"

Nobi looked at him. "And what would you suggest we say? That it wasn't her fault she nearly killed the human?" She shook her head. "That would be a lie and clan members do not lie to one another." She turned to Leo, "If she loses her temper that quickly than we must prepare for it."

Kurama spoke. "If I may, I have never seen Kumori lose her temper like that. But, I have not seen her for three years…" He turned to Keiko. "Keiko, you have been around Akira, Kumori, and Hikari. Did she ever lose her temper like this before?"

Keiko shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kurama. I don't know. Kumori, Akira, and Hikari go to a different high school and only Hikari and Akira ever visited with me. From what they said, though, I think Kumori became really isolated after you, Yusuke, and Hiei left. But I never heard about Kumori losing her temper like that."

Leo spoke, "Be that as it may, we must prepare for that, just in case we do something or say something that sets her off. Right Nobi? Talim?"

Talim nodded. "Of course."

Nobi nodded, but she looked at everyone else in the room, then she looked where Kuwabara was. "One word of advice: I know you are worried about my cousin. But, if I were you, I'd worry about the human boy who nearly just had his neck sliced open by her claws. Not about her."

Outside the temple…

Kumori stood under Hiei's tree, stiff as a board. She muttered to herself angrily. "Stupid Kuwabara! Stupid ningen! Stupid temper! Stupid! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" Her eyes flashed red in anger and she slashed at the tree with one hand. In moments, there were shallow gashes from her claws in the tree. Kumori yowled in anger and then stopped. She turned to look at the tree and saw the damage. "Shit… Hiei's going to kill me!"

A voice said, "What am I going to do, onna?"

Kumori's eyes shot straight up to see Hiei, sitting in his original spot. She glared at him. "Do you have to be so damn quiet?"

"Hn." Hiei closed his eyes and shrugged. He then leaned back into the tree and went back to lounging in his spot.

Kumori's eyes narrowed at him. She opened her mouth to respond, but approaching footsteps stopped her. She recognized the steps' owners and turned back to the tree, standing motionless.

In moments, the three girls that had followed her reached her. As they came up, Hikari noticed the gashes in the tree. "You cut Hiei's tree? He's going to-!"

Akira slapped her hand over Hikari's mouth. She looked at her best friend with worry in her eyes. "Kumori…"

Kumori held up a hand for silence. "Akira… Hikari… Shizuru… I really appreciate that you care about me. But right now, don't talk to me. I am trying really hard not to kill the baka right now and you talking to me about it won't help."

Shizuru stared at Kumori, before putting her arms around Akira and Hikari's shoulders. "She's right, you know. We should let her cool down." They turned back and headed to the temple. As they did, Kuwabara opened the door.

Kumori yelled, "Hey Akira! Take the moron with you."

"Will do!" Akira shouted back. She walked up to Kuwabara and grabbed his collar. "C'mon moron."

"Hey! I'm not a moron!"

Akira looked at him. "You ticked off Kumori. Therefore…" She dragged him inside. "Thou art a moron."

Kuwabara looked like he was about to struggle, but Shizuru said, "Bro, go in with her or do I have to kick your ass to make you go in." Kuwabara then stopped struggling and reluctantly went inside.

After all four of them went inside and shut the door behind them, Kumori sighed, placing a hand to her forehead. "Stupid…ningen needs to get his butt kicked…" she growled, taking off her jacket that she had been wearing and tossing it aside. That left her in only her black tank top and her black pants. She took a breath, crouching down into a fighting position. She closed her eyes, letting the breath out slowly. Her eyes shot open, crimson with fury. She roared, letting her power lash out.

She ran for one of the trees, claws outstretched. Kumori's claws dug deep into the bark, the area around the marks turning black from burns. She spun and ran for another tree, only for her claws to strike against a metal blade. Hiei stood before her, katana held defensively before him. Kumori growled, jumping back away from him and pulling her katana from the sheath on her back.

Hiei smirked, lunging at her with his sword. Kumori blocked him, gritting her teeth as she shoved him back. Both fighters took defensive stances, slowly circling each other as they looked for openings in the other's defenses. Kumori lunged, aiming for Hiei's chest. Hiei blocked, as Kumori used her momentum to flip over him and slash at his unprotected back. He jumped away from the sharp blade, kicking Kumori's feet out from under her. Kumori fell back, landing awkwardly on the ground. Hiei landed over her, pinning her down.

Hiei smirked. "Hn…You're getting better. It took me about ten minutes longer than usual to pin you."

Kumori glared at him. "Smart ass…" she hissed, struggling against him. Hiei chuckled.

"You know that you can't break free, onna," he said, raising an eyebrow at her stunned expression, "What?"

"You just laughed…Who are you and what the hell have you done with Hiei?"

"Hn. You're imagining things, onna."

"I hate you, stuck up ba-!"

Hiei placed a hand over her mouth, leaning down quickly and placing a kiss on the young girl's forehead. Kumori's eyes widened as Hiei pulled back, surprise flashing in his expression before he vanished. Kumori sat up, placing a hand to the spot where his lips had touched her skin. The area was still warm. Kumori blinked, before frowning.

"You don't just kiss someone and run off you jackass!" she yelled, shooting to her feet with her tail bristling. She then glared at the area where Hiei had disappeared to, all the while touching her forehead. "Bastard!"

Back inside the temple…

Hikari and Akira stood in front of the door out to the back. Kuwabara and Yusuke were standing in front of them, trying to pass. Hikari sighed, "Look, you two. I know you want to check on Kumori, but, please, let her have some space."

Yusuke said, "Look Hikari, I don't want to check on her. I want to know where the hell that frigging temper came from. I've never seen her like that."

Akira sighed, "Yusuke… You consider Kumori sort of as a friend, right?"

"Yeah…" Yusuke said, stubbornly.

"Then, as her friend… Let her have some time to herself. I've never seen her attack a… colleague before and she changed over the years. When she goes crazy like that, she needs some time afterwards to let her body rid itself of her anger," Akira said, looking up at the two boys.

Kuwabara looked like he was going to argue, but Shizuru touched his shoulder. "Let her be, bro. Akira's right. I sense that Kumori's grown stronger and I'm sure you sense it too. If you go now and piss her off, I'm sure she could severely injure you."

Keiko looked pale and said, "Wait a minute, Akira. You said you've seen her act like that before?"

Hikari intervened. "We both have. Since Akira's a magnet for trouble, we've gotten into our fair share of fights. All of us have gotten injured severely at one point or another. When Kumori saw us hurt, it'd set something off and she went… well… like that."

Akira nodded. "Anyways, it's best to leave her be."

Yusuke said, "Ok. So what the fuck happened to you three while Kurama, Hiei, and me were in Demon World."

Genkai came in from a hallway and said, "All of them came to me and went through training. They put all their efforts into training and they've come a long way from the fifteen-year old girls that came to me three years ago, which is more than I can say for you, dimwit."

Yusuke said, "Jeez, gimme a break, Grandma! I saved the world from being destroyed, didn't I?"

Genkai kicked him in the head. "Dimwit! That's not the point! Don't you understand anything at all?"

Yusuke said, "I'm sorry, Grandma. I left my 'How to Understand Crazy Old Hags' guidebook at home. I'll be sure to bring it next time."

"You are such a pain in the ass! I must be going senile to keep putting up with you and your attitude."

Yusuke was about to reply, but Kurama cut him off. "So, they've been training with you all this time, Master Genkai?"

Hikari piped up, "Not all this time. We do have lives and things we have to do besides training. Such as our job working-!"

Akira clapped a hand over Hikari's mouth and interrupted. "By taking care of my siblings sometimes."

Kuwabara said, skeptically, "Taking care of your siblings?"

Akira nodded. "Yep. I work for my mom. Hikari and Kumori sometimes help me out by watching them for me if I have to work. Isn't that right, Hikari?"

Hikari nodded. "Yeah... It is." She looked at Akira, a question in her eyes. Akira's eyes glanced at the people in the room, then closed her eyes, and shook her head. Hikari stared at Akira, then nodded in understanding.

At that moment, the door behind them opened and Kumori stormed in. Her tail was still bristled, showing how angry she was. She stomped past everyone, ignoring them.

Akira said, "Kumori? Is everything ok?"

"Leave me alone!" Kumori snarled, still moving toward the hallways where her designated room was.

Hikari asked, "Did something happen?"

"No! Now, leave me alone! I'm going to go take a nap." Kumori stomped off and then everyone heard a door slam.

Akira and Hikari both moved to follow their friend, but were stopped by hands on their shoulders. They turned to see Shizuru. Both shot her confused looks.

"Shizuru?" Akira asked. "Why did you stop us?"

Shizuru spoke, "It's like you said. As her friends… You should let her have some time to herself. Something's obviously gone and pissed her off and honestly? I really don't want to be the one who bugs her about it. Do you?"

Genkai spoke, looking at her two students. "Shizuru's right. Since you are her friends and know her so well, you should know when she wants to be left alone, isn't that correct?" When the girls nodded, she said, "Now, think about this you two, she usually goes to take a nap when she wants to be left alone. Wouldn't this be a good time to leave her alone?" Genkai's tone was not the irritated tone that she used around Yusuke, but rather the one the girls recognized that she used when gently trying to point out the error that they were about to make.

Akira looked at the ground while Hikari bit her lip. Akira sighed. "I suppose your right, Master…"

Hikari nodded. "Yeah… I guess we can wait."

Genkai cracked a small smile. "Well, it's nice to know at least _some_ of my students listen to me once in a while."

Yusuke quickly figured out whom the insult was meant for. "What was that Grandma?"

"You heard me, dimwit," Genkai said, looking at her successor.

Sensing a fight about to erupt, Hikari said, "Yusuke, how are you on DDR?"

Turning to Hikari, Yusuke blinked. "Where the hell did that come from Hikari?"

"Answer the question, please."

Scratching his head, Yusuke said, "Well, I'm pretty good."

Kuwabara burst out laughing. "That's a joke Urameshi! I can beat you on it with my eyes closed."

Yusuke turned to Kuwabara in anger. "Oh is that right? Last time, I remember I kicked your ass to Demon World and back!"

"You just got lucky!"

"That so?"

"Yeah!"

Hikari interrupted them. "All right. It's settled. You two will battle it out on DDR, and whoever wins, battles Akira!" The boys murmured their agreement, while they went to get the game and set it up.

Her eyes narrowing, Akira turned on Hikari. "Excuse me? Last time I checked, I didn't agree to this."

"Aw, come on, Akira! Please?" Hikari begged.

Akira closed her eyes. "Hikari… You know I don't like being signed up for things…"

Yusuke turned from setting up the game. "What's the matter, Akira? You scared?"

Looking at Yusuke, she shook her head. "No."

"Really? Because you sound like you're scared. Afraid I'm gonna kick your ass?"

No, Yusuke," Akira said coolly. "I'm just looking out for your fragile ego. I don't think it could stand it if you lost to a woman."

Yusuke looked miffed, but said in a patronizing tone, "Right, right. I totally believe you. But if you are scared Akira, it's ok. I won't judge you."

As her eyes narrowed dangerously, Akira said stiffly, "You know what? I'll do it. But I warn you, Yusuke… If you beat Kuwabara and get to battle me, don't underestimate me." Then, as the game started, she stepped over next to Hikari and sighed.

Hikari looked at Akira with a sad smile. "Sorry. You know that Kumori would have woken up if a fight started."

Rubbing her temples with her fingers, Akira said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm not mad at you. I'm irritated with Yusuke." She rolled her eyes. "He completely disregarded what I said about not liking to be signed up for things and then makes it sound like I'm afraid of him."

"Are you?" Hikari asked, teasingly.

Akira shot a glare at her. "No. He may be the son of a Demon Lord and S-class, but I tend not to be frightened by a half-demon who gets smacked by his human girlfriend more often than not."

Hikari snickered. "Yeah, that does make him a little less frightening. What about Kuwabara?"

Akira shook her head. "Nah, he couldn't hurt a girl if he tried. Besides, he's kind of fun to watch, what with the ways he shows affection to Yukina. It's cute in an amusing sort of way."

"And Kurama? Does he scare you?"

Akira started, while her cheeks turned scarlet. She bent her head, letting her hair fall to cover most of her bright red face. "Um… Well…"

At the same moment, Kurama turned to the girls, hearing his name. He walked over to them and said, "What are you two talking about?"

Hikari grinned at him. "Girl stuff."

But before Kurama could ask, the sound of Yusuke's cheering cut off the conversation. All three turned to look and saw that Yusuke had beaten Kuwabara. As he cheered, Kuwabara said, "You just got lucky again!"

"Really? Well, I think I just kicked your ass!"

As Kuwabara stepped off, Shizuru said, sarcastically, "Great job, bro."

Akira stood up. Walking past Kuwabara, she stepped on the mat. She looked at Yusuke. "Ready?"

Yusuke grinned at her. "This is going to be easy."

Akira smirked back at him. "We'll see. How about we play at the same level? You can choose the song and the level. "

Yusuke agreed and shuffled through the songs and picked Drop the Bomb by Scotty D. He then chose his level as Expert.

Akira followed by clicking her level to Expert as well. After they began, Hikari turned to Kurama, "How much you want to bet that Yusuke forgot Akira's mom owns a dance studio?"

Kurama looked at her. "I will not bet on a certainty."

Grinning, Hikari shrugged and both turned to the game. But, going unnoticed to everyone was Kumori's cousins. Leo, Nobi, and Talim were all grouped together, speaking softly amongst themselves.

Nobi spoke, "We must send word to Niero and Leader."

Leo nodded in agreement. "Talim, can you get a message to your sister? We'll cover for you."

Talim nodded. "Of course. But what shall I tell them?"

Nobi spoke, "Tell them about our cousin and tell them we will send another message in a month's time. Also, alert them to Muerte's doings."

"Anything else?"

Leo said, "I think Nobi covered it all. You need to go, before anyone notices."

Talim nodded. "I'll be back before nightfall." Slipping away with the silence and grace of a cat, Talim left the room, heading outside for the place where a portal would be waiting to receive their message.

Right after Talim left, the song ended on the DDR. The game announced Akira as the winner. Akira's legs shook a little as she stepped off. She panted, "Wow. Yusuke, I have to admit I haven't worked that hard before to gain a lead. I know you could beat me if you used your demon speed and all… Why didn't you?"

Yusuke said, grumpily, "I thought I could beat you at a normal speed."

Akira laughed. "I guess you forgot my mom owns a dance studio. She's built up my legs to move faster. But I did warn you not to underestimate me."

Suddenly a hand touched Hikari and Kurama's arms as Yusuke responded. Hikari and Kurama looked to see a sleepy Kumori. "Kumori! You're awake!"

Kumori rubbed a sleepy eye. "What the fuck is making all the noise?"

Hikari spoke, "Yusuke and Akira were just playing DDR. Akira beat him."

"Oh…" Kumori said, rubbing her eyes. All three of them watched as Kuwabara made a remark about Yusuke getting beat by a girl and being tackled by him. Akira stepped back away, while Keiko hit Yusuke and Shizuru shook her head.

Suddenly, Hikari looked all around, catching everyone's attention. She sniffed for a few moments, then smiled. "He's here…"

A member of the Aisubachi clan walked slowly through a hallway, silent as a ghost. His dark, dingy black hair that fell in his gaunt, sunken face, covering his glittering eyes didn't help refute this thought. He turned a corner and walked up the hallway to where Muerte was. When he reached the door, he knocked twice. The door opened, revealing Muerte in his chair. Muerte smiled at him.

"Ah! Basten! Just the man I wanted to see," Muerte said, smiling sinisterly. "What news do you have for me?"

"Sir…" Basten said, bowing low. "It appears I am having complications."

"Complications?" Muerte asked.

"Yes. The two girls infected… Well, one's a half-wolf demon. Her blood automatically is fighting the potion. The other's body, though completely human, is spreading it at an abnormally slow rate." Basten sunk lower. "As such, I need to get closer to my targets, sir."

Muerte looked at him. "I understand. I will ask the Leader for your permission to leave. But even if he does not grant it, I give you my permission and my oath that I will cover for you."

Basten rose and bowed again. Then he quickly left.

Muerte closed his eyes and smiled. "Soon, little Halfling, very soon, you're friends will be trapped in their nightmares. What will you do then, I wonder?"

An elderly man, the Leader, sat in a decorated chair in an elegant room. On his left sat Ilaria, his mate. She held his hand, softly stroking it. On his right, Aisu sat on the floor, like a student. Before him knelt Niero.

"Ah… Niero…" the Leader smiled. "How goes it?"

Niero bowed his head. "Leader… Nobi, Leo, and Talim have sent me a message about Kumori. She's not what they expected."

Leader chuckled, "Few half-demons are, I think. Anyways, continue."

Niero nodded. "It's surprising. She and her friends have friendships with Lord Yusuke of Tourin, Lord Yomi's top general, Kurama, and Lord Mukuro's heir, Lord Hiei."

Leader nodded. "Yes. I had foreseen this, Niero."

"You had, Leader?" Niero asked. "Then why did you not-?"

"Niero…" Leader said, looking at his son, with a smile in his eyes. "Just because one sees the future, does not mean one should reveal everything he sees." He turned to Aisu, "Ah, Aisu. I cannot wait to meet your daughter."

Aisu nodded. "Thank you Leader."

Leader looked at Niero again. "Anyways, Niero. I sense something is on your mind. Speak."

"Leader, it is Muerte. He is in possession of the Nviares plant."

The Leader's eyes flashed. "What?"

"We've gotten word that he has been growing some. Also, we've heard that he has had Basten create the potion."

The Leader's eyes closed. Then he opened them. "Niero."

"Leader?"

"Six months. Tell the clan to prepare. That's all they have."

"For what sir?"

"My granddaughter's arrival to the clan. And… her first meeting with Muerte."

* * *

Ending comments: I hope you guys review! So please do! I really want to hear your opinions so please, please, please review! Thanks!


	24. Chapter 21

Manga Maid's Notes: Gah... Looked at date I last updated. I am soooo sorry. But I had life, brainblocks, school, work, my computer crashed, and Shishiwakamaru making it difficult to write. Gah... Life sucks sometimes. On a happier note, today is my birthday so now I have a laptop again. Hooray! Yes, I'm one year older. Anyways, I wanna know how old you think I am. Please guess and do not look at my Youtube account. It's not accurate. A friend made it for Christmas/my birthday a couple years back and she got some of my info including my age wrong cause she put in random dates... Tried to fix, but according to her, she's not sure we can change the info. Sigh... Anywho I will be looking into ways to remedy this, but if I can't, well, I can't. Also, I posted some movies on my Youtube a while ago, so you should look there. I put a link to my channel. Oh yeah, demon of my heart and mind made me a DeviantART account and my link is on my author page, I have some artwork up already so you should look. Please don't diss my art. I know I'm not that good. I plan to get a computer program for my art and clean it up a bit, make it look nicer, when I have money and such. But I is broke at the moment... Anyways, yeah...I decided that I would post today for you guys, since I'm getting bad on updating and I wanted to give you all this for Christmas, but no go... I really don't mean to... It's just I am losing precious freetime at the moment. Anyways, I love you all for reading this and supporting me. So here's your very late Christmas present from me. I PLAN to get the next chappie done and posted by February. But I don't know if it will happen. If it does then I will be happy. If not... I'm sooo sorry!

Thanks to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, ,Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91, Angel of Randomosity, maru101, Smiling Crazy, Okina Reika, White Rose Fox, Miorochi, eragon1228, hikariserenity, Mihakaku, Fumiko Hewley, AnimeFan1000, kurobunnyalice, XxXfiction, Rukax7x, Shadowsammy, Kikyou Minamino, 21, Lizzie-Lizzard, SilverMoonKitty, Jemmagirl, KuramaEnzanBlues, Gaara'sLover95, PyroKitsune, Maxim0, A.J Brooks, BookwormSars, MizuKaji, MyLifeInWhole, Nyx'sBlackRose, ChocolateKittey, XxNimith531xX

Also thanks to my editors demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori.

On with the ficceh! HOORAY!

Note: I do not own Cluedo. Cluedo belongs to Hasbro/Parker Brothers. To those of you in North America who do not know what Cluedo is, Cluedo is the real name of Clue. It got shortened to Clue in North America for reasons I don't know.

* * *

Slow, stern steps sounded through the halls of the Reikai palace as Koenma walked onward, heading to the door where the child that had attacked Hikari was being questioned. Botan followed him, silently. When they had returned to Spirit World, he had told her to come with him to see the child who had attacked Hikari. Now they were heading to question him.

As they reached the door, there stood another ferry girl with black hair, blue eyes, and wearing a black kimono. She was looking at the floor, but her head turned to them as they approached. "Lord Koenma."

"Ayame," Koenma said, inclining his head. "Did you get any information on the child?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. His name is Rihito. He's from a small band of wandering demons that's been dying out slowly in recent years. From what we gathered, his parents passed away and he has been raised by his two brothers, Hajime and Tokuma."

"I see," Koenma answered. "Did you question him yet?"

"No sir. We have not."

Koenma contemplated for a moment, and then he spoke. "Let me speak with him."

Both ferry girls looked at each other and then at Koenma. Finally, Ayame nodded and moved to the side, so Koenma could go in. He turned to Botan. "Botan, you stay here. I will need you after I'm done here."

Botan nodded and Koenma walked into the room.

The room was empty except for the young boy chained and sitting on the floor. Koenma took in his appearance. He was young, looking about seven-years-old with light brown hair. His skin was pale and he looked as if he was on the brink of starving. Red tinged his puffy purple eyes and there was evidence of tears on his face.

Koenma closed the door and the little boy looked up, frightened. "Evening. Your name is Rihito, right?"

"Y-Y-Yes."

His answer surprised Koenma. When they had brought in Rihito, his voice was lower, darker, and he was threatening to kill off everyone around him. Koenma thought about this before asking, "Rihito, I need you to answer some questions for me. Will you do that?"

Rihito nodded. "Okay."

With that hurdle cleared, Koenma began to interrogate the young demon.

...

Kumori blinked. "He? What do you mean, Hikari?"

Hikari sniffed the air again. "At least, I think that's him… Chu's odor is masking most of the other smells… But still…"

"Wait… Chu's here?" Yusuke asked, looking at the door.

Hikari nodded. "Mm-hmm… I think I can smell Suzuka and Touya… Like I said, Chu's masking everything… But I think he…" She sniffed again and grinned. "Yep! That's him!" She darted out of the temple. They heard her yell, "Jin! Touya! Chu! Rinku! And even Suzuka and Shishiwakamaru! I haven't seen you guys in forever since you were training with Genkai!"

Yusuke's face lit up as he heard a voice with an Irish accent say, "Well, I can't be believing my eyes, if tisn't ya lass! Ya must be trainin' under Genkai, fer sure if ya be here still!"

Yusuke turned to run for the door, but Kumori tripping him stopped his attempt. Kumori then grabbed Akira's hand and pulled her out the door. She yelled as she ran down the steps, "Jin! It's been too long! You're all here!"

"Ah, and Kumori is here too, so I see!" A demon said, looking at her smiling. He had a messy mop of red hair that was comparable to Kurama's scarlet with a single horn sticking out of his bangs. His eyes looked as blue and free as the sky while his smile showed a fang. He wore white baggy pants, which had two white criss-crossing straps that went over his shoulders, and were held with a blue obi belt that had a cherry colored gem in the center. He also possessed arm guards with had the same gem on them and leg guards, though the leg guards held no gem.

His companions also caught Akira's attention. The one closest to the redhead was a bit shorter than him by several inches, but he looked much more serious compared to the demon who had spoken. His slicked back hair was ice blue with four jade spikes shooting down over his left eye. He wore a fishnet undershirt with a navy top over it and light blue pants that were held with a purple obi belt. His azure eyes seemed to be looking at everything with seriousness, even though he was lightly smiling.

The person next to them was around the same size of the redhead. He had spiky blonde hair with green eyes, while wearing a fighter outfit that matched his hair. Akira knew it'd be a lie not to call him attractive and she had a feeling he knew it himself. He seemed to be fastidious about his appearance as Akira noticed that not even one hair seemed to out of place.

The next person that Akira saw reminded her of a samurai. He was shorter than the red-head but taller than the man with the ice-blue hair. His eyes were a dark magenta and his hair was a shade of blue-violet. His outfit consisted of a white uwagi and pale blue zubon tied off with a red obi belt. He looked mildly disinterested in his surroundings.

Akira moved on and saw… a child? At least, it looked like a child; in fact he looked no older than Akane. Akira stared at him, taking in the child's appearance. He was wearing a yellow and red striped cap that had a navy brim and pom-pom on the top. He also wore a red shirt with long yellow sleeves, jeans, and white sneakers. Spiky, brown hair came out from under the hat and he possessed green eyes. Akira noticed three pink stars tattooed under his left eye. A bit surprised, she turned to the last fighter.

The last fighter was the tallest of the bunch, taller than the redhead or the blonde. He had a blue mohawk that went off into two pigtails that were wrapped up with red ribbons which made them look like rat tails. He also possessed a short goatee and mustache. His eyes matched his hair and beneath them he had a green tattoo that went over the bridge of his nose. He wore black boots, olive green pants that were covered with white fur from the knee down, a red belt, and a dark, almost black, blue shirt that was lined with the same fur at the collar as the pants. But what Akira noticed most of all was he smelled strongly of alcohol, which made her stop dead in her tracks.

Akira instantly let go of Kumori's hand and took a step back as she noticed the alcohol smell while Kumori launched herself at the redheaded demon and hugged him. Akira looked warily at the tallest demon while Hikari joined Kumori in the hug. Then Kumori noticed Akira wasn't there.

"Come and join the hug, Akira!" Akira shook her head and Kumori and Hikari let go disappointed. "Akira!"

Akira shook her head again. "No thanks…" She then turned to watch Yusuke as he came running down the stairs.

"Jin! Chu!" Yusuke said as he jumped toward his friends. He landed in front of the redhead and the demon who stank of alcohol. "How are you guys?"

"Urameshi," said the demon with the blue mohawk. His voice had an Australian accent to it. "Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes."

"Aye," the demon who Kumori had called Jin. "It's great ta see ya again, Yusuke."

"You as well, how've things been in the Makai?"

"Ah, ya know," Jin shrugged. "But tis not the same since ya left, fer sure."

"Yeah," Yusuke agreed.

The demon with ice-blue hair spoke, "Is Kurama here? We need to speak with him."

Yusuke turned to him, "Kurama? Yeah, I think he's inside. I'll get him."

"Wait a minute, Yusuke," Akira said, "It's obvious you're visiting. I can get him for you."

Several pairs of eyes looked at her. Akira felt suddenly very self-conscious. Suddenly, the child asked, "Who's she?"

Kumori suddenly looked at Hikari. Hikari nodded and Kumori walked over to Akira. "This is Hikari's and my friend, Akira Wagerman."

Hikari grinned, "Yep!"

Akira waved nervously. "Hello."

In a moment, Jin came forward and poked her forehead lightly. "Well, yer a human. Not a demon or part demon, even."

"Well, duh!" Kumori said. "Of course she's human! What did you expect?"

With her brow furrowing, Akira asked, "Is that a problem?"

"Nah, not at all, lass," Jin grinned, his fang showing as he did. "It's unique. Just didn' expect fer Kumori and Hikari to have any human friends, ya know? I didn' think Kumori was capable and all that."

Suddenly, Kumori walked over and smacked Jin on the head. He yelped and rubbed his harmed head. Kumori snapped, "Oy! I was raised human, remember?"

"Aye," Jin said as he tended to his bump. "I did forget that." He then muttered, "Hell hath no fury like the Kumori scorned."

"That's right!" Kumori stated, indignant. "And don't you forget it!"

"Um…" Hikari said, before she clapped her hands together. "Oh, yeah! You have no clue who these people are, do you Akira?"

"No, no I don't." Akira confirmed, nodding.

"Introduction time!" Kumori and Hikari exclaimed in unison, ignoring the groans that came from the blonde and violet haired demons.

"This is Jin," Hikari said as she came up beside the red-head and introduced him.

"A pleasure ta be meeting ya, lass," Jin said, bowing a little bit to her. He then looked at her, giving her a big grin.

Bowing back, Akira smiled and said, "Hi Jin… It's nice to meet you too." She then noticed that there was a small pressure on her leg, and she turned to see the child demon poking her. "Um… Hello?"

The demon looked up at her. "Hi."

Kumori spoke, "This is Rinku."

Nodding, Akira paused, and then finally asked, "Um, why are you poking me?"

"I'm making sure you're not a hologram."

Blinking in surprise, Akira looked confused, until Kumori explained, "Oh! I introduced him to science fiction… Though I didn't expect him to take it so seriously."

Ah…" She looked down at him. "Sorry to disappoint you." Bending down to his height, she teasingly whispered just so he could hear, "I'm an android."

Rinku said, "I knew it." His smile showed her he knew she was teasing. She shook her head slightly as he went back to the group of six fighters and turned to the one who looked like a samurai.

"That's Shishiwakamaru," Hikari introduced, even though she didn't even go close to him. She stayed next to Akira and her voice held a trace of hostility which confused Akira.

Akira bowed. "Hello Shishiwakamaru."

He didn't respond, except for giving her an ice-cold glare and then turning away from. Surprised by his coldness, Akira looked down; shaking her head as she remembered some demons had prejudices against humans and half-humans. Deciding to ignore him, she looked to the blonde next to him.

"This is Suzuka," Kumori said, gesturing to the blonde.

"I am the beautiful Suzuka, girl. Get it right!" The blonde said, irritation showing on his face.

"Beautiful Suzuka?" Akira asked, confused. "Wouldn't you rather be called handsome?"

"Why?" Suzuka said, looking at her.

"Well, I thought beautiful was usually a compliment reserved for women. I mean, I've never heard of a man who wanted to be called 'beautiful' before…"

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Jin, Rinku, Hikari, Kumori, and the demon with the blue mohawk burst out laughing, while the demon with the ice-blue hair snickered, but it was obvious Suzuka wasn't amused. "Watch it, human girl!" he snapped. "Mocking me can prove to be very dangerous."

"Says the guy who got his ass handed to him by Genkai," Kumori chuckled.

Suzuka glared at her, but kept his mouth shut while his companions snickered at his expense. Kumori shrugged it off, turned to the one with ice-blue hair, and decided to glomp him. She yelled, "Touya!"

Akira looked to Hikari who clarified. "That's Touya. He's another ice demon, so Kumori kinda sees him like family."

"Oh dear…" Akira sniggered as she saw Touya trying to get loose.

"Get off me, Kumori."

"No."

"Kumori… Get off."

"No."

"Please let me go."

"No, I'm not done hugging you."

A new voice cut in from Akira's right. "Onna, get off him."

Kumori looked at the owner of the voice, glared a little bit, but let go all the same. She looked mildly annoyed and irritated.

Akira turned to see Hiei looking at Kumori. "GAH!" she yelped, stumbling a bit backwards and away. "How-?" She face-palmed. "I forgot. S-class demon. I'm an idiot."

"Hn."

Several people sniggered. The demon Akira hadn't been introduced to laughed, "A bit of a jumpy Sheila, ain't ya?"

As Akira looked at him, Kumori realized they hadn't been introduced. "Right! Akira, this is Chu," Kumori said, pointing to the alcohol scented demon.

Akira inclined her head as a nod, when he suddenly disappeared. Her eyes darted around before she saw him standing right in front of her. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

He smiled as he spoke. "So, you're the Sheila who befriended the lil' spit-fire, are ya?"

Akira stiffened, feeling as if she were going to simultaneously vomit and drown in the alcohol smell that radiated off Chu. Just as quickly, she felt like she was being choked and she knew she had to leave. She took a step back then spun around and took off, straight into Kurama. Looking up, she saw his eyes looking down at her worried.

As his face read her fear, Kurama's mind clicked as he smelled the alcohol. Gently, he moved himself in front of her. As he did so, he felt her hands grip the back of his shirt as she leaned against him.

Kurama looked to Kumori and Hikari, who nodded and came up to Akira, gently touching her arm. Kumori spoke softly, "Let's go to the temple, Akira. It's safe there."

As they led Akira away, Kurama turned to Chu. His tone was cold as he spoke. "If you scare her like that again I will not hesitate to severely harm you, Chu."

Chu looked confused. "Wha'd I do? All I did was say 'ello."

Kurama sighed and explained, "She has had some...unpleasant experiences in the past concerning people who drink. I can say nothing more on the matter, as it is not my place to tell. Do not pester her about it. If she wants any of you to know, she will tell you on her own time."

Yusuke nodded. "Ok man. We get it. Now these guys said they need to talk to you."

Surprised, Kurama turned to them. "What about?"

Inside the temple…

"Akira? You ok?" Kumori asked when they were inside.

Though she was pale, Akira nodded. Her body shook slightly with fear as she stood and she didn't seem to be able to muster any sound from her vocals. Taking a few steps, she reached a couch and plopped down onto it, placing her hands into her face.

Yukina and Keiko came in, while Shizuru poked her head in. "Is everything all right?" Yukina asked.

Hikari explained, "Akira had a bit of a panic attack."

"Oh my gosh." Keiko came over to Akira, who was still breathing hard. "Are you ok?"

Akira nodded. But she edged a little away from Keiko. Shizuru spoke, "Hey, why don't we let them handle it Keiko, Yukina. I'm sure she'll be fine in a bit."

They were a little stubborn, but after Kumori and Hikari had agreed with Shizuru, they left. When they were gone, Akira finally spoke after taking a few deep breaths, she said, "I'm such a coward."

"You are not," Kumori said, sitting next to her best friend. "You have never met Chu before and he caught you off-guard. You were fine. I should've warned you anyway that he drinks alcohol. He's a master of Sui Ken, you know, drunken fighting, so he drinks a lot."

Akira nodded, but her skin was still pale. She murmured, "He just smelled so much like…"

"I know," Kumori said, "Don't think about it. Anyways, let's do something to take our mind off the drunkard."

Hikari offered, "How about we play a game?"

"Like?"

"Cluedo! We could ask Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru to play too!"

Akira smiled. "Ok…"

While Kumori went to go find the board and the girls, Hikari asked, "Akira?"

"Hm?"

"You sure you're ok?"

As she thought about it, Akira was quiet. Finally, she answered. "No… But, I really don't want to talk about it, Hikari… Sorry."

"It's ok…" Hikari said, smiling sadly at her friend.

Akira looked down at her shirt. "Um… Do you think someone has a shirt I can borrow? I really need to change it, though I didn't get the chance yet."

Hikari blinked. "Oh! Right! Genkai has some of our shirts we've stashed in a closet. She has a couple of yours in there too." She pointed down a hallway. "It's the third door on the left."

Nodding Akira turned and walked down the hall. Grabbing a blue shirt of hers, she darted into the bathroom and changed out of her bloodstained shirt. Within moments, she walked back to where Hikari was waiting. Pretending to be a model, she spun. "What do think?"

"It looks good," Hikari answered. "I approve."

Akira laughed, "Glad to know that I have your approval in my clothing choices."

Both girls laughed and after they finished laughing, smiled at each other. At that moment, Kumori came back with the game board and Yukina and Keiko. Shizuru had declined to go talk to Genkai. After the board was set up on the floor and they began to play, Akira began to relax.

As they played, the girls heard the group that was still outside coming close to the door. Kumori and Hikari looked to Akira, worried, but she glanced at the door, then back at the pieces trying to decide any moves that could be played. However, they saw the hesitancy that had flickered in her face.

The door opened and all the girls turned to see Yusuke, Chu, and Jin laughing about something, while Kurama was in deep discussion with Touya, Kuwabara was arguing with Rinku, and Shishi and Suzuka were talking softly to each other. Hiei was the only one not talking as they walked in.

As they walked in, the girls turned to them, then back to their game. Kumori spoke, "I suggest it was Professor Plum in the ballroom with the revolver." Keiko silently showed her a card. Kumori made careful note of them and then turned to Hikari. As she did, Kuwabara came over while Hiei went to a window and the rest of the demons still chatted.

"Hey Yukina, what're you girls playing?"

"Cluedo," Yukina said. "I'm Mrs. White, Keiko's Mrs. Peacock, Kumori's Miss Scarlett, Akira's Reverend Green, and Hikari's Colonel Mustard. We're almost done. Would you like to play with us after we finish this game?"

"Sure!" He sat next to Yukina watching as Hikari suggested it was Miss Scarlett in the kitchen with the lead pipe. As Akira showed her a card, she took notes and finished.

Keiko grinned as she looked at her notecard. "I accuse Miss Scarlett with the rope in the Library!" She took the cards in the folder and looked up at Kumori, a smile on her face, showing the cards that proved her victory. "So tell me, Miss Scarlett, why did you kill Dr. Black?"

Kumori spoke in a cool tone. "He spied on me while I was changing. Serves the pervert right."

Hikari fell backward laughing and Akira shook her head amused, as Keiko stared in stunned surprise. After she had finished laughing, Hikari sat up and said, "Hey. You asked why she killed him. It's a motive."

While Keiko struggled with a response, Kumori looked to the visiting demons. "So, why did you guys need to speak with Kurama?"

"Can't tell ya that, lass. Instructions from Yomi." Jin said, smiling.

Kumori blew a raspberry at them. "No fun, you is."

Akira turned to Kumori with a confused look. "Uhm…Who's Yomi?"

Hikari grinned. "One of the three lords, Kurama works for him. Remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Then, Akira's face went from confused to a ticked off expression. "You mean the one who put the parasite in Kokoda?"

Kumori nodded. "Yep."

Akira nodded stiffly. "Oh yeah. I remember all right."

"Wait…" Keiko said, looking confused, "Someone put a parasite in Kokoda-kun?"

Kumori nodded, an even more confused expression on her face, "Yeah, I thought Yusuke told you…" Yusuke froze at Kumori's words.

Keiko looked at him. "Yusuke! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I… I didn't know about it!" Yusuke stuttered, backing away a few steps.

"That's a lie, Urameshi!" Kuwabara cut in. "You're the one that told me about it in the first place!"

Three seconds passed. "YUSUKE!" Keiko yelled, causing the boy to turn around and book it out the door. In mere moments, Keiko had disappeared out the door, running after him. There was the loud sound of a slap and Keiko came back in, anger apparent on her face. She came and sat next to Akira as Yusuke stumbled in with a flaming red handprint on his cheek.

As she sat, Hikari looked at Jin. "Wait a moment. Didn't Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara hear why you're here? How come they get to know and we don't?"

Chu spoke up, "It's orders, Sheila."

Hikari, Akira, Keiko, and Yukina looked at him with confused faces while Kumori's eyes narrowed. She spoke slowly and her voice held a taste of suspicion, "That makes no sense, though. Yusuke and Hiei are in positions of power in the other territories and Kuwabara is a human living here. If they know, why can't we know?"

Jin spoke up. "Well, ya see, lass...Yomi knows them, he doesn't know you, and the information we passed is extremely sensitive-"

It was Akira who spoke this time. "Will it affect Human World?"

Touya answered for Jin. "No. It regards the well-being of Demon World."

All the girls glanced at each other. Akira's face was a blank mask while Kumori's frown became more pronounced and worry filled Yukina's eyes. Hikari looked at her hands while Keiko looked at Yusuke, fear for him pronounced in her features. Her face did not go unnoticed by Yusuke.

"Look, it's not a big deal. So don't worry about it. Everything's going to be okay."

Kumori muttered under her breath. "Said the Mazoku that knows what the hell's going on."

Yusuke's face became angry. "What was that?"

"You heard me!" Kumori spat, rising up and standing.

"Guys, please!" Yukina said, looking at both of them. "Let's not fight."

Kumori looked upset, but sank back to her spot on the floor. "Fine. Sorry, Yukina."

"Hey," Yusuke squawked, looking indignant. "What about me?"

"I have no reason to apologize to you," Kumori stated. Then she stuck her tongue out like a three year old. She then turned to the other girls and Kuwabara. "Well, let's start a new game."

Yusuke sputtered for a moment, but Kuwabara spoke up, "Forget about it, Urameshi. She's not going to, so don't try. Trust me."

Yusuke's face grew into a scowl. But instead of arguing, he just glared at Kumori and stalked off to the other side of the room, sitting down. While he did this, Keiko rolled her eyes and sighed, but began to shuffle the cards.

After the cards had been shuffled and three had been selected to go into the envelope, everyone was placed back into their original spots and Kuwabara was given Professor Plum to play.

As they began to play, Rinku came over, curious. "What are you doing?"

"Playing Cluedo," Hikari answered.

"Cluedo?"

"It's a game. We're trying to find out who killed Dr. Black. The answer is in the folder, but to open the folder one of us has to accuse a person of killing the doctor. Make sense?"

"Why?"

"It's part of the rules."

"Don't bother, Rinku," a snide voice said. "It's obviously a pointless human game. 'Part of the rules.' Obviously, it shows their intelligence."

Several pairs of eyes turned to the speaker. Shishiwakamaru leaned against a wall. Kuwabara snapped, "Hey! What did you mean by that?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? You humans become bored and instead of doing something productive you spend time playing a childish game."

"You do realize that the world has been saved before by playing a children's game?" Kumori said, an amused and mischievous glint in her eyes as she moved her pawn.

He paused at that, before sneering at her. "And who won that?"

Kumori's eye twitched at his tone. Her answer was clipped. "Kurama."

"That only proves my point. If a human were to play a game that actually decided the fate of the world, the world would die. Kuwabara is a perfect example of this. His brute strength would mean nothing in a challenge of wit."

Kuwabara shook his fist at Shishi. "Hey! I'll have you know I'm getting into a good college! One of the best in Japan!"

Rolling his eyes, Shishi said, "That may be, but your knowledge would be useless in Demon World. Face it. Your human intelligence is infantile compared to a demon's."

"That's it! I'm tired of you and your comments about humans, pretty boy! Fight me now!"

"Me? Fight you? Please. I am an S-class demon while you are only at the equivalency of an A-class. It would be a waste of my time."

Kuwabara looked like he was going to pop a vein with how angry he was. He tried to force himself to stay calm, but he was shaking with effort as Shishi's self-confident smirk stayed plastered on his face. Finally a voice broke the silence.

Akira looked calmly at Shishiwakamaru as she spoke, but her eyes held a flicker of irritation and her voice was saturated in annoyance. "Well, if you won't fight Kuwabara, maybe you'll fight me."

Everyone turned to Akira. Shishi's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

Akira said, "Well, it's just you claim that demons are superior to humans. I just want to test that by seeing if I can fight you. Since you don't want to take on Kuwabara, maybe I'll suffice."

Shishi scoffed. "Please. You think you could take on me? You're a human, a female at that. It's common knowledge that females are weaker than males. Even the filthy half-breeds are more powerful than you."

The room fell silent as the words lingered in the air. Then the silence was broken as Yusuke and Kuwabara lunged forward, but were restrained by Keiko and Shizuru. Shizuru muttered, "Easy, you two. Let her handle it."

Hiei smirked, amused. But Yukina's lips fell into a frown, her red eyes upset, while Hikari's face was stone. Kumori looked seething mad, but Kurama let out an angry growl, a noise rarely heard from him.

After a pause, Shishiwakamaru's group spoke up. "Now see here," Chu said, his voice slurring a little. "Ya can' go an' say tha'!"

"Yeah!" Rinku piped up. "After all, you got beat by Genkai, and she's a human."

"They have a point Shishi…" Touya said, "Genkai did beat you."

Jin and Suzuka also added their agreement, to which Shishi snapped, "It doesn't count! Genkai is a powerful psychic! This human female here is nothing compared to her!"

Genkai said, her voice cold, "Why don't you test that theory, unless you're all talk."

Shishiwakamaru looked furious. "Fine! You think you can take me on, little human girl? Just try it!" He then turned and went outside. Akira just nodded and followed him, with everyone following behind.

Genkai followed them for a little bit, before grabbing Shishiwakamaru's sleeve to drag him to the fight arena. Akira followed behind, head down and hands folded in front of her like an obedient student.

Genkai stood in the center of the platform as both fighters went to opposite ends of the arena. She gave them both glares, before she sighed. "Shishiwakamaru, give me your sword."

Shishi stared at the old woman like she was insane. "Why would I do that?" he yelled at her.

Genkai gave him an annoyed look. "Look at Akira's weapon. It is not a sword, it is a stick! I will not have one of my students dying on me! Especially not one who has younger siblings to take care of!" She grabbed a wooden sword and tossed it at him, "Use that! Then you'll be even!"

Kumori snickered at Shishiwakamaru's dirty look, even as Genkai grabbed his sword and tossed it to her. Kumori caught the blade in one hand, setting it down on the nearby bench.

Genkai nodded at her other student, before turning back to the two fighters. "The rules are simple, so I'm sure that even you will understand them, Shishiwakamaru." Genkai said scathingly.

Shishi bristled. "What was that, you old woman?"

"Shut up and pay attention," Genkai snapped, giving him a glare that rivaled one of Hiei's, "Neither fighter is allowed to die. Either you land three hits that land the opponent on the ground for a full ten count to win, knock them out, or you knock them out of the ring."

"Hai, Sensei," Akira answered, bowing to her master while Shishi merely scoffed a yes.

Genkai twitched, looking like she wanted to hit Shishi herself, but she nodded. "Very well. FIGHT!"

Genkai leapt backwards, landing in front of her other two students, who were kneeling on the ground next to each other with their hands folded on their laps. Genkai nodded to the two of them, giving them permission to mingle with the others and prevent their interference.

Shishiwakamaru smirked, and lunged forward. Kumori and Hikari, along with the rest of the group, noticed that he was going at a slower speed than usual. Akira frowned, and stepped aside, sticking out her foot. Shishi stopped just in time to keep himself from falling face-first onto the platform's tiles.

Akira twirled her staff lazily in one hand, then gave him an exasperated glare. "Here's the deal," she said quietly, so only he would hear, "You don't go easy on me, and I won't go easy on you. Otherwise, I will cause you the most humiliating defeat you have ever experienced."

Kumori's cat ears twitched, and she smirked. "Hn…Things…Are about to get fun."

Akira grinned as she stepped back away from him, having heard Kumori's comment. Shishi, however, scoffed. "If I went at you at my full strength, you would die, mortal."

All three girls bristled. Kumori growled loudly, catching both fighters' attention. "Shishiwakamaru," she hissed, deadly venom coating her words, "You forget who has trained her. Master Genkai is our trainer. I am her sparring partner. You want to rethink that statement, asshole?"

Shishi glared at her, but merely scoffed as he went to the other end of the ring. "I don't need even to use the power of a C-class on her. Just watch." A second passed, and the next thing anyone knew Akira was flying toward the other end of the ring, Shishiwakamaru's arm still in the final striking stage of a punch. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara started forward, but both Hikari and Kumori held their arms out to stop them even as Akira landed and skid across the tiles a few feet.

"No, she knows what she is doing," Kumori said evenly, "Do not interfere with her fight."

Yusuke glared at her. "Are you insane, Kumori?" he questioned loudly as Akira pushed her torso off of the ground with her arms, "That was your friend who just got beat up there!"

Kumori ignored him, watching as Shishiwakamaru walked closer to her fallen friend. He sneered at the human girl. "Are you done?" he asked condescendingly as Akira's shoulders started to shake. "Have you had enough? One punch is all it takes to make you cry like a weak little child?"

Kumori and Hikari's animal ears perked up as their advanced hearing picked up a sound that went unnoticed by the others for another second. The next two to hear the noises Akira was making were Kurama and Rinku, who stared at the arena in surprise. It wasn't until she started to get steadily louder until the rest of the audience could determine the sound for what it was.

"The hell?" Yusuke said in disbelief, shaking his head.

"She's…laughing…?" Kurama asked the silver-haired cat quietly, staring at Akira in astonishment.

Kumori nodded, a smirk forming on her lips as Shishi's expression turned to annoyance. "Yeah, she's laughing."

"Did you hit your head, woman?" Shishi sneered, holding the wooden blade in one hand.

Akira gave another harsh laugh, pushing herself to her feet. "No, I didn't," she answered, planting the end of her staff firmly on the ground. "You might want to rethink your statement, Shishiwakamaru. You must rely on your sword a lot when going easier on someone, because at this level of power you're using…?" She paused before shaking her head. "Well, compared to Genkai, your punches are like pillows."

Shishiwakamaru growled, lunging forward again. This time, Akira's staff connected solidly with his stomach, causing him to cough as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Akira smirked, tossing him off her staff and stepping back, returning to her ready position with her staff planted securely on the ground, one leg braced backwards and her free hand held in front of her chest.

"Go Akira!" both Hikari and Kumori cheered, ignoring the shocked looks that the guys were directing towards the fighting area.

Shishi growled once he realized that he had been knocked down by his opponent. A person who, in his mind, was weaker than him. He lunged forward, the wooden sword held tightly in both hands. Akira blocked the blow to her side, her staff keeping her from getting hurt. However, the power behind the blow pushed her backwards a good two feet.

Kumori had to restrain the fox as he started for the ring, worry for his friend clear on his features. "Kurama! Stop! She knows what the hell she is doing!"

Hiei appeared next to the struggling half-breed. "Fox, the onna knows what she is talking about." he said, causing Kurama to still. "Or do you have no trust in the human?"

Kurama shot him a sharp look. He opened his mouth to reply, only to freeze as he heard Keiko gasp in fear. He looked up to the rink to see Akira land on the ground once more, clutching her side. A large bruise was visible as she stood, before her shirt fell back over to cover it.

Shishiwakamaru laughed maniacally, stalking forward and striking her again. Akira stumbled, but did not fall. Smirking, he said, "Well, do you see, little girl? I'm at probably at B-class and you can't handle me!" After his comment, Shishi continued with his attack, not giving the girl a chance to defend herself. He went to take another punch that would send her outside the ring, and she saw an opening.

Ducking under his arm as he swung she came up behind him, staff raised. She gave him three sharp strikes to his head, leaving him dazed and struggling to stay on his feet. Akira stepped back, bracing herself. Shishi, turned to face her, staggering with the effort. As he lost his stable footing Akira jumped forward, bringing both legs before her as she landed a solid kick to the demon's chest.

Shishiwakamaru flew off of the ring, colliding solidly with a few small trees and breaking them. His head cracked against a large oak fifty feet away from the fighting area, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Akira walked slowly over but stayed in the ring as Genkai began to count. "Just so you know, Shishi…" she said, softly. "If you were at any form of A-class, I would've lost. But, I've fought a couple B-class demons. Somehow, I always have managed to scrape by…"

Thirty seconds passed with everyone but the females looking surprised at the outcome. "Did Akira just…win?" Yusuke asked in shock.

Genkai smirked as she walked over to the knocked out demon, who had a bump the size of a baseball. She looked from the crumpled form of Shishiwakamaru, which was outside of the ring, and Akira, who was slightly bruised, but still standing and inside the ring. "The winner," she said, raising her arm and pointing at Akira, "Akira Wagerman."

Akira sighed and fell to her knees, tired out. She then groaned as she looked at her staff, which now held a large crack and looked like it would break in two. "Great… He broke it…"

Kumori held up a roll of silver tape as she and Hikari walked forward to congratulate her friend while the others were talking at the moment. "Will duct tape work?"

Nodding, Akira murmured, "It'll have to…" Pulling a strip of tape, she began to mend her cracked staff. After she finished, she sighed, "I need a new one. This one's on its last legs and won't be able to hold out for much longer. Maybe it'll just hold on for…" But she suddenly stopped, as both she and Hikari froze. Then both fell to the ground, unconscious.

Off a short distance, Basten grinned. The potion was working well. 'Now little ones,' he thought. 'Let me see your fears.' Images hit him at once. After a few moments, he grinned. 'So the human is tormented by memories of her own sister, hmm? Interesting… And the half-demon despises and yet fears the uncle who cared for her? Oh how precious…" He twisted his hand as if gripping something in mid-air. "Well, you two, dream pretty dreams… For you see, when you awake… your lives will be plagued by your nightmares."

* * *

Ending Comments: Yep. Now what I've been hinting at for two chappies comes to light. *Grins* I hope you liked. Please review! I love to hear from you all!


	25. Chapter 22

MangaMaid's Notes: Hey everyone! Wow. I actually got this up in February! I can hardly believe it! Hooray!

So now, thanks to Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, ,Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91, Angel of Randomosity, maru101, Smiling Crazy, Okina Reika, White Rose Fox, Miorochi, eragon1228, hikariserenity, Mihakaku, Fumiko Hewley, AnimeFan1000, kurobunnyalice, XxXfiction, Rukax7x, Shadowsammy, Kikyou Minamino, 21, Lizzie-Lizzard, SilverMoonKitty, Jemmagirl, yyh-ygo-fma, Gaara'sLover95, PyroKitsune, Maxim0, A.J Brooks, BookwormSars, MizuKaji, MyLifeInWhole, Nyx'sBlackRose, ChocolateKittey, XxNimith531xX, Marionette Mirror, Takara Rose Oizumi, Neko249, Fallen-Autumn-Leaves, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu.

And thanks to my editors demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori!

Enjoy!

P.S. Thankies to heve-chan for asking me about putting more about Hikari in! I put a little of her past in here for you! I hope you like!

* * *

Talim darted through the woods in Human World. After delivering the message for Niero to her sister, she had turned back around and rushed back to the portal. A dark feeling had settled upon her and she was anxious to get back to Nobi and Kuroleo before anything bad happened.

As she moved, her thoughts raced. Although she hadn't been born before Kumori's grandfather was Leader, she did know the horror stories of the Nviares plant and everyone in the Aisubachi clan knew on how thorough the eradication process had been. Biting her lip, she wondered how the plant had survived all these years.

Shaking her head, she knew worrying about it would never get anything done. Focusing on the task at hand, she sensed Leo and Nobi's energies nearby. Within moments, she was beside them. "What did I miss?"

Nobi spoke. "Look and see."

Talim looked to see that, along with the people she had already encountered, there were several more demons she recognized from Yomi's territory watching a ring fight. In the ring, stood the human friend of Kumori and another demon from Yomi's territory. She watched in surprise as the human girl was knocked around a little bit before sending the demon out of it into a tree.

But her eyes widened as both her and the other half-demon fell to the ground. She turned to Nobi and Leo, who looked as equally shocked, while everyone ran over to the unresponsive bodies.

"What the hell just happened?" Yusuke asked, running up as he looked at the two catatonic bodies of Hikari and Akira.

Kumori, Jin, and Rinku looked at each other with wide eyes. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" they screamed in unison, running around in circles even as Kurama stepped forward to check on the two.

He placed two fingers to each of the girl's throats, letting out a breath of relief when he felt their pulses. "Calm down, everyone!" he yelled, getting the group's attention and causing Kumori to stop. Jin ran into her, and Rinku ran into Jin causing them all to become a giant pile of limbs. Kurama rolled his eyes, sadly used to this behavior. "They're alright, just comatose."

"Meaning what, Fox-boy?" Kumori asked, clamoring out of the demon-pile. She stood before the fox, arms crossed over her chest.

"They are in a forced sleep. Though as to why I have no idea..." Kurama explained, trailing off as he looked to the two. He looked up at everyone. "We'd best take them inside."

Nodding, Kumori began to lift Hikari and Akira, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked to see Yusuke, looking down at her. "Hey Kumori? I think you need to take it easy."

Kumori looked up with anxious eyes at Yusuke. "Yusuke, this is _my _fault. I have to be the one to fix it. It's my fault they got hurt and I have to get them better!"

Kurama looked down at her. "And why is it your fault?"

"BECAUSE IT'S MY DAMN FAMILY THAT DID IT!" Kumori snapped. "THEY ATTACKED AND HURT MY FRIENDS BECAUSE OF ME!" She noticed the frightened look on Yukina and Keiko's face and the surprised looks of everyone around her. Looking down at the ground, she took a moment to compose herself before trying to drag her friends off to the temple.

Before she could, however, Genkai whapped her in the back of her head with a rolled up newspaper. Kumori spun and once she saw the newspaper, she hissed, confusion and irritation appearing in her eyes. As she was about to speak, Genkai cut her off. "If you are going to act like a self-pitying dog, I will treat you like one."

Kumori balked at the remark and she fixed an ice-cold glare at Genkai. Genkai just shrugged it off and turned to everyone else. "All of you, take Hikari and Akira inside, Kumori and I need to talk alone." She turned to Kuroleo, Nobi, and Talim. "That includes you three. Go in with them."

Nobi, Kuroleo, and Talim nodded and began to walk to the temple while Kurama and Yusuke picked up the unconscious bodies of the girls and everyone headed inside. Genkai looked up at Hiei's tree and then shook her head. Motioning for Kumori to sit, she stood and waited until Kumori finally sat upon the ground. Then she began to speak.

"So, care to tell me why you're acting like this?" Genkai paused to let Kumori speak, but when the half-demon made no motion to answer, she continued. "Because this sorry state of self-pity is just pathetic."

Kumori bit back, "I do not pity myself!"

"Really? Could've fooled me." Before Kumori could counter, Genkai said, "So your friends got wounded. They're not dead! So quit acting like they already are!" Closing her eyes, her voice became softer. "Kumori… I know you care about Hikari and Akira as if they're your sisters… But what you're doing will not help them."

Letting her head fall, Kumori softly spoke. "I know…"

"Then change what you're doing and do something that will help them! I did not agree to help you girls just so that one of you would fall to pieces when the others got injured! I thought I taught you to be stronger than this!" Genkai snapped. "Get over this anger you hold at yourself for what happened! Or do I need to start calling you dimwit too?"

Kumori looked up at Genkai, about to snap at her. But once she looked into Genkai's face and realized that Genkai was trying to help her, she paused and then smiled. "I understand…"

Genkai smiled back. "Bout time you did." She then began walking to the temple.

"Thanks, Sensei." Standing up, Kumori brushed herself off and followed Genkai inside.

…

Hugging her knees, Botan waited for Koenma to come out of interrogating the child as she leaned against the wall. Koenma had been in there for some time and she was becoming a little bored. Sighing, she looked up to the ceiling. "I wonder what's taking them so long…"

Suddenly, the door opened and Koenma, still in his teenage form, came out looking grave. Botan stood up instantly and bowed to him. He nodded to her and then motioned for her to follow him. They walked in silence until they reached Koenma's office.

Once they stepped inside, Botan broke the silence. "Koenma, sir, what's wrong? Did Rihito not cooperate?"

Koenma sat in his desk and then responded. "Oh no, Botan. He cooperated all right. But if what he said is true then…"

"What did he say, sir?"

Koenma was quiet before speaking. "I asked Rihito why he attacked Hikari, but he didn't remember attacking her at all. Then I asked him what he did remember." He closed his eyes. "And… well… let's just hope what he said wasn't true…" He began to explain to Botan what all had happened during the interrogation.

_Rihito nodded. "Okay." _

"_Now, my first question," Koenma said. "Why did you attack Hikari Haruhi?" _

_Jerking his head up, Rihito's violet gaze held surprise as he looked at Koenma. "Who?" _

"_Hikari Haruhi. The half-demon you attacked in Human World." _

"_I attacked someone?" Rihito blinked. "No I didn't. At least… I don't think I did…" _

_Koenma's eyes narrowed. "I can assure you, you did attack her. And in Human World, which in case you've forgotten, is a crime punishable in both Demon World and Spirit World." _

"_No… How could I? I don't remember leaving Demon World. Besides, I don't even know how to fight…" _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_All I know, sir, is that I woke up here. I don't even know why I'm here," Rihito said, his child-like eyes looking sadly up at Koenma._

_Koenma blinked and then said, "Ok… So what do you remember?" _

_Closing his eyes, Rihito thought about it. "Going to go see this guy Hajime had met a while back." _

"_And who was this demon?" _

"_I don't know… Hajime ran into him on a raid with the others in the raid."_

"_Raid?"_

"_We've been living with a band of traveling demons who steal stuff since all our clan died out along with our parents. Tokuma and I and some of the younger demons had to stay behind with the women and children while Hajime and the older ones went on this raid. They were gone for two weeks. Then Hajime and a few others returned alone, pretty beat up… Soon after, we left the band and camped out near Alaric, cause Hajime said he owed this guy who he'd ran into on the raid. A couple of weeks later, Hajime received a note and he said we had to go into Alaric to see this guy, though Hajime said we were never supposed to go near Alaric territory before." Rihito paused for a moment. _

"_Go on." Koenma coaxed._

"_We went into this cave that had a ton of vials. It was really dark and I couldn't see… Hajime went in deeper to talk with the guy and in a few minutes Hajime came back. He took me in to see his friend and it got really dark. Then I heard this voice say to Hajime that I was really small and he didn't like use 'this potion on children' cause it 'overrode their consciousness until it wore off' and he'd have to 'use the body' until I woke up. It sounded annoyed. Hajime then said that even though I was a child, I was still useful and the voice seemed to agree. Then something stabbed me in the arm and I felt like ice. Then everything went black and I woke up here."_

"_What?" Koenma asked, stunned. "You mean to tell me that your brother let you get controlled by someone you didn't know? Just what kind of brother do you have?" _

_Rihito became upset. "He didn't mean anything by it! He just owed that guy! Hajime's always protected Tokuma and me! Always! No matter what! He wouldn't just let me get hurt! He wouldn't! Where are he and Tokuma? Let me see them! Please!" _

_Koenma watched the boy's face. "Rihito... I don't want to tell you this, but… your brothers… Hajime and Tokuma are dead." _

"_What?" Rihito looked up at Koenma, his amethyst eyes filling with tears. "N-N-No… It can't be true. It can't!" Tears ran down his cheeks and the soft plip-plip of water hitting the floor. "No… Not my brothers… No! _

_Koenma turned away and began walking to the door. "Sorry kid…" He opened the door and left, letting Rihito mourn his losses in peace. _

Botan felt tears come to her eyes. "Oh, my… That poor kid. To lose your family like that… Just awful."

"I agree. But that's not the worst part of it, Botan," Koenma stated, his face grim as he looked at his hands. "The worst part is that whoever was in that cave could control a child with one potion. And according to Rihito, he had many different potions and we don't know what these could do…" He looked up at Botan. "And from what we saw when Kumori, Hikari, and Akira were attacked, that person was from the Aisubachi clan… If whoever this is was willing to use such extremes to attack Kumori, then we need to find out why he attacked her and what he wants that she has."

Botan nodded. "Do you want me to go back to Genkai's and find out?"

Koenma shook his head. "No. I have an idea of what it could be."

"What is it?"

"Kumori is the only child of Aisu Aisubachi, who is the eldest child of the Leader of the Aisubachi clan, a clan of black cat demons in Alaric. Aisu has recently claimed her birthright to leadership after her father dies, thus making Kumori the next heir after her. If I'm right, then whoever attacked Kumori wants to be leader after Aisu."

"But why would this person want to lead their clan so badly?"

"Botan, there is a reason that Spirit World has never meddled directly with the three territories. While it's true that we didn't want to anger the Three Kings, we also never wanted to stir up any of the clans that might live in each of the territories. Demon clans are very old and usually have special techniques that are only taught to those who live in the clan. In Alaric's domain, the Aisubachis are very isolated, keeping to themselves and the only authorities they recognize outside their Leader are Lord Mukuro, Hiei, because he is her heir, and King Enki. Spirit World has no clue to what their power levels are or what techniques the may possess."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm getting to that. Under their current Leader, Sousui Aisubachi, the Aisubachis are relatively peaceful. They were and still are, however, known for their cutthroat behavior and the wars they waged on other clans in the past. Whoever is after Kumori probably wants to bring back the old ways of the clan."

"But… Why?"

"I don't know, Botan. And that is what we need to find out. Who this demon is and what he wants."

…

Yusuke wondered just what the hell was going on. First, Kumori, Akira, and Hikari had gotten attacked and now Hikari and Akira had passed out. He and Kurama had put them in their rooms so they could rest up until they woke up. Then, they had headed back into the room where everyone else had been discussing things with each other and both had sat on the empty couch. The others had chosen to move to the kitchen and asked both of them if they were going to come. Kurama declined, and as he did, Yusuke decided he was going to find out what had happened. After everyone left, he turned to Kurama.

"Kurama? What the hell happened with you and Akira, anyway?"

Looking over at him, Kurama asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I thought you were going out to a park or something today, since you said that was why you weren't coming to visit Genkai's today until later. Were you actually going on a date with Akira or something?"

Kurama seemed to be caught a little off-guard by the question, but he spoke calmly. "No, I wasn't with Akira. We just ran into each other. She apparently had the same idea I did to visit a park."

"What did you do after you two ran into each other?"

"We talked for a little while."

"About?"

"Work, for the most part."

"And then you were attacked?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama's face turned serious and he nodded. "Yes."

"What happened?"

"We both sensed a demon nearby. He was hiding in a more dense part of the park, so as not to be seen and attacked us."

"What happened to Akira?"

"As you know, she was the target. He grazed her with a dagger that was coated in a very old potion, one that I haven't seen in centuries. It immobilized her and then she was gravely wounded."

Yusuke was quiet for a moment as he thought it over. "You know, Kumori and her cousins said that Akira and Hikari were attacked because they're so close to her. You don't think Keiko would get attacked, right?"

"It's hard to say Yusuke. But all facts considering, it is highly possible that she is another target."

"What facts, fox boy?"

"Yusuke, consider this. Keiko's relationship to you is not widely known and Kumori is friends with her. If Kumori has been watched diligently, then perhaps they know a little about your relationship to her, but it's very unlikely. We would've noticed by now if she had been under constant surveillance." Kurama paused. "I believe that if this Muerte is using spies to watch Kumori, it is infrequent. If I'm correct, then there may be the possibility that they don't know about Keiko, Yukina, or Kuwabara… But, since we don't know how frequently Kumori visited them, we can't say that is certain."

"Can't say what is certain?" A voice asked.

Both turned to see Kuwabara in the doorway. "Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked. "I thought you were talking with the others."

"Yeah, well…" Kuwabara shrugged. "Anyways, can't say what is certain?"

"Whether or not you, Keiko, and Yukina would be attacked by Kumori's cousin," Kurama explained.

"Oh…" Kuwabara paused, thinking over his answer before saying. "I doubt it…"

Both Yusuke and Kurama looked at each other. "Why?"

"Kumori's become a real loner. We never see much of her. Yukina would be the only one to see her if anything."

"Why?" Yusuke asked.

"Because I dislike people, now stop talking about me behind my back!" Kumori growled as she came into the room.

"Uh….Hi Kumori," Both Kuwabara and Yusuke said nervously, inching as far away from her as possible.

"Kumori," Kurama greeted.

"Fox," Kumori replied, plopping down on a windowsill. She turned to look at all three of them. "So…What's been discussed about going after the fuck who did this?"

All three of them looked at each other. "Well, we haven't really talked about it yet…" Kuwabara admitted.

Kumori glared. "Of course you didn't…"

"Kumori," Kurama said. "We were trying to figure out if he'll go after anyone else to get to you."

Scoffing, Kumori shook her head. "No, he won't…"

"Well, excuse me," Yusuke exclaimed, annoyed, "But how do you know?"

"Because he won't." Deciding to change the subject, Kumori asked, "Now can we discuss how to get this bastard?"

"Wait a minute, Kumori," Kurama cautioned. "Perhaps we should figure out what has happened to Akira and Hikari first. For all we know, if we kill Muerte, they could die as well…"

Yusuke looked at the ceiling. "What I wouldn't give to know what's the hell happened to Hikari and Akira."

As Kurama and Kuwabara nodded, Kumori murmured, "Ditto."

…

Sitting up, Hikari shook her head as it pounded in rhythm like a drum. What had made her pass out like that? Browsing her memories, she realized the last memory was walking to congratulate Akira and then everything went black. She looked around and found herself in a dark corridor made of stone, similar to ones that might be in a castle.

Slowly, but surely, Hikari pushed herself to her feet. "How did I get here? And how long was I out?" Wobbling a little, she groaned as her head throbbed. "Gah… Stupid headache…" She took a slow, shaky step and teetered as she began to walk.

While she walked, she tried to figure out where she was, but she didn't recognize the place. A faint light ahead of her touched her eyes and she ran towards it, thinking it to be a way out. Instead, she found a glowing circle that looked like a T.V. screen. What was in the screen made her gasp.

A four-year-old version of herself was in the picture, holding on to the hand of a seven-year-old boy with brown-orange hair and green eyes like hers. Hikari watched in shock as her four-year-old self spoke.

"Nii-chan? Whewe awe we going?" When the boy didn't respond, the child Hikari asked, "Komichi?"

The boy turned to the child version of Hikari. "Hmm?"

"Whewe are we going? Awen't we going home?"

Komichi's lips tightened. "We can't go home, Hikari…"

"Why not?" Her eyes became tearful. "What about Momma and Dad? Won't they be wowwied?"

Komichi turned to his sister. "Hikari… I got called out of class today… and Mom and Dad…"

"Yeah?"

"They're…" Biting his lip, he pondered how to explain whatever was on his mind. Finally, he said, "They had to leave… So, until they come back we have to go live with Uncle Zassou."

Hikari looked up at him, unhappily. "Uncle Zassou? Do we have to? He's scawy…"

Komichi looked his sister straight in the eye. "Don't worry, Hikari! He won't bother you, cause I'll beat up him up if he scares you!"

"Pwomise…?"

"Yeah! I'll beat up all the scary things for you! I promise!" Komichi said, causing his sister to smile.

The scene faded and Hikari stared stunned at the now blank wall. Snapping herself out of her stupor, she turned back down the corridor to see a figure leaning against a wall. She called out to them.

"Who's there?"

"Hikari? Man, you grew up. Guess you're not so little anymore, huh?"

Hikari's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. "K-Komichi?"

The figure laughed and turned away, running down the corridor. Hikari gasped and then ran after the figure, calling after him.

"Wait! Don't leave! KOMICHI! COME BACK!"

Komichi didn't turn. He kept on running, leading Hikari down corridor after corridor. Hikari ran after him, trying to get him to stop, but to no avail. Finally as she ran into a large, dark circular room, Hikari noticed she had lost Komichi.

Lost, Hikari wandered around in the dark, wondering where she was. She called out, "Komichi? Komichi? Where are you?"

A dark voice came from out of the darkness. "You foolish, selfish girl! Don't you know he's not here?"

Hikari turned to see a tall, stocky man with dark hair facing away from her. She walked towards him. "P-P-Please..." she said softly. "Where is he? Where is my brother?"

The man didn't turn. "He disappeared. You know that as well as I do, stupid girl."

"I'm not stupid!" Hikari snapped. "I'm not!"

"Really?" The man snickered. "Then tell me this, girl. Who am I?"

Hikari felt her temper boil. "How is that a legitimate question? I never even met you! How am I supposed to know who the hell you are?"

The man turned to her, eyes blazing in anger and disgust. Hikari's eyes widened and the man spoke again. "You're sure you don't recognize me, Hikari?"

"Zassou…" Hikari growled.

"Correct, Hikari," Zassou said, clapping his hands slowly. "Hmm… You're not as stupid as I thought you were. Good to know that you weren't a complete and total idiot."

Growling low in her throat, Hikari said, "I am no idiot!"

Zaasou's eyes narrowed. "Really? Then give me an honest answer, Hikari. Why are we here? After all, we did agree never to speak to each other again. Why are we here talking?"

"Uh…" Hikari tried to come up with a reason, but no explanation formed in her mind.

"You don't know? Let me enlighten you, then. We're here because you could never admit to yourself that you would never fit in and so now, I have to come and educate you in that concept." He walked to Hikari and gave her a sharp kick in the side. "Keh, leave it to you to actually think you have a place in this world without our family."

Coughing, Hikari croaked, "What do you mean?"

"Really? You don't get it… Well, I'll tell you. Without us, where would you and Komichi have been? On the streets, I imagine. And by time you'd have reached this age, you would have been experienced in selling your body, just to make ends meet." Zassou paused. "Although, I don't know if anyone would've wanted you, what with your orange hair and all. It's just… Not natural."

Hikari stood up. "I'll show you natural, you uptight bastard!" She put all her force into her fist and punched him.

Zassou didn't even flinch. He stood there, quite untroubled. "Was that it?"

"No way…" Hikari sunk to her knees. "There's no way…"

"Face it Hikari," Zassou said, looking down at her. "I can tell you despise me, yet you do nothing. Why is that? Because you are weak, a child."

Hikari began to curl up. "No… No, I'm not."

"Yes, Hikari, you are. You know it's true. Compared to me, you are nothing…"

…

Akira shot up from lying down on her bed. Gasping, she looked around her room as her breathing slowed. "What the-?" she asked, softly when she caught her breath. "But I thought I was… Wasn't I?"

Blinking she shook her head as she thought about her dream. As surprise wore off, she got out of bed, walked out of her room, and down the stairs. While she walked towards the kitchen, she kept wondering why her dream was set at Genkai's when a bottle nearly tripped her. "Huh?"

Bending down, she picked it up and looked it over in her hand as she noticed it was empty. The bottle was a sickly green in color, but it looked vaguely familiar. If only she knew where she had seen it before…

Holding it up to her nose, she gingerly sniffed at it to smell the contents. Her eyes widened as she smelled alcohol. Dropping the bottle, she backed away from it into a wall. At that moment, a voice made her blood turn to ice.

"Heyyy, lil' sis. Wuzz up?"

Turning to her right, Akira's eyes landed on Sakura's drunken face. Her eyes widened in fear. "No…"

Sakura grinned at her. Her eyes were glazed as if she had drunken herself into a stupor. "Hav' a nice naappp…?" She hiccupped.

Akira leaned into the wall, hoping she could vanish right into it. Finally, summoning up her courage, she spoke, "Sakura? I thought you decided you weren't going to drink anymore…"

"Wha-? I ne'er say tha'!"

"But you-!"

"Shut up! Yah just tryin' to con… con… confuzz me!" Sakura began to advance.

Akira needed no encouragement. She turned and ran. While she did, she heard her sister start after her and snap.

"Git bac' 'ere! NOW!"

As she ran away, Akira looked for anyway to get away from her sister. She turned a corner and saw the door. Running to it, she turned the knob only to find it locked. Hearing the thuds that announced her sister's approach, Akira turned to see Sakura. As Sakura came closer, Akira shrunk back, terrified as she knew what was about to come next.

…

Basten smirked to himself as he focused on the emotions of the two girls. Both were trapped in their nightmares. Perfect.

A voice interrupted him. _"Basten, report." _

Basten tapped the ear piece in his ear and then spoke. "Master Muerte, all is going as planned. The two girls you infected are now under my control."

"_Does that half-breed spawn of Aisu's know?" _

"Not yet, sir. But, she will soon enough."

"_Basten. I don't have time for you to procrastinate. Make sure she knows that we hold her friends in the palm of our hands."_

"Sir? Why would we do that?"

"_I've heard rumors that her cousin, Nobi, and two others went to see her for Niero. If this is true, then most likely she knows that I am after Leader's position. I want her to know the position of her friends before she gets any ideas about coming after me for any reason."_

Basten paused. "Sir… I want to mention something to you-"

"_Not now, Basten. I've just learned Leader is looking for me. I believe it's best that he doesn't think I'm avoiding him. I'll speak with you soon." _

Basten sighed as Muerte cut off. "Honestly…" Shaking his head, he turned back to stalk the temple.

…

Kurama sat quietly, trying to formulate a plan of action. They had been trying to figure out whether or not Muerte's life was tied to the girls', when Leo had spoken, mentioning that those types of bonds were two way and Muerte would never put his neck out that far for any of his plans. Now they were discussing plans of action and Yusuke was first.

Kurama frowned as Yusuke mentioned his plan, which like all his plans was not thought out. The main point of the plan was to go directly to the Aisubachi clan to get Muerte and kill him. Softly, Kurama voiced his concern. "Yusuke, that plan is not wise."

"Why not?" Kuwabara asked. "I mean, if we explained to them that we just wanted Muerte, then-"

"Then, you would be forced out of our area," Talim interrupted.

"What?" Yusuke snapped. "Why the hell would that happen?"

Nobi spoke this time. "Because, son of Raizen, our clan is all family and, no matter how much some of the clan would wish it otherwise, Muerte is part of it."

"Ok…" Yusuke said, slowly. "Let me guess, if we even think about going there, it's dangerous."

"Very, Yusuke," Kurama answered. "Clans are about as old as Demon World itself and tightly knit. No demon clan will take kindly to any strangers."

"Why not?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama turned to him. "Demons are very protective of what they claim as theirs, Kuwabara, but they are especially defensive of their families. But more so, their mates and children."

"Kinda like how a momma cat will move the kittens when she feels threatened, right?" Kuwabara asked.

"No…Instead of moving, they would just attack you and rip you limb from limb," Talim chirped happily.

"Oh…"

"Yeah. Imagine me when you pissed me off…times five hundred," Kumori supplied with an evil smirk. Kuwabara inched a few steps away from the cat-clan demons. As he did, Kumori's brows raised and she turned to look behind her. Seeing no one there, her face turned into a pout and she crossed her arms, unhappy.

"Ok…" Yusuke said. "Well, what else can we do? I mean, unless you've got a plan, Kurama..."

"I'm afraid I don't, Yusuke," Kurama answered. "If we had more information, then perhaps, but even then it would be tricky. As I said before, clans are very old. Even as Youko, I never dared to steal from them."

"And it is well you did not," Nobi stated. "Every clan knows one another, and a few of the clans have allied relationships through mates. You steal or attack one clan, and you may be attacked by dozens more."

"Huh…" Kumori hummed. "I have a lot to learn about clans."

"Yes, yes you do." Talim quipped.

"Okay…" Kuwabara said, shaking his head as to clear it of all the new information, though he still kept his distance from the Aisubachi clan members. He then turned to Yusuke and Kurama, "So what do we do now?"

Yusuke answered quietly but his voice was frustrated. "I don't like this idea, but maybe we should wait it out and see what happens…" He looked up. "I hate the idea of sitting on our asses, but since nothing else seems like it's going to work, it's all we got."

Kurama, Kuwabara, and Kumori nodded, though none of them looked too happy. Yusuke then stood up. "Well, since this meeting's over, I'm going to go find Jin or Chu." He turned and left the room.

Kuwabara got up as well and said, "Yeah… I'd better go find the girls and explain what's going on..."

After he left, Kumori looked at Kurama, trying to ignore her three cousins. It was quiet for a few moments until she said, "Kurama… Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I'm afraid not, Kumori…"

Sighing, Kumori looked out the window. Resignation filled her unhappy face and she was quiet, while Kurama pondered what to do next.

…

Basten stood stiffly, wondering what he should do now. Muerte _had _ordered him to alert the child of Aisu's, but if he did while so close… Shaking his head, he frowned as he watched the memories the girls were entrapped in. Groaning, he felt unease settle into his bones as he tried to find a solution that would protect him while alerting Aisu's child. Finally a thought entered his mind, but he had a bad feeling about it.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Well, it _is _what Muerte wants." He lifted his hand, clenched his fist, then let his hand relax and fall back to his side. "Well, there's no going back now…"

…

Hikari gasped in pain as Zassou sent her flying back into one of the walls. She groaned and closed her eyes, coughing. Zassou just laughed as she lay there with her eyes closed.

While Hikari kept her eyes closed, she heard Zasshou speak. "I grow bored with this setting. Let's have a change, shall we?"

Hikari opened her eyes and found herself in her room at Genkai's. Blinking, she stared in shock. "How-?" She was cut off as Zassou landed a hard kick into her stomach and she hit the wall.

"Aw, poor Hikari. What can you do? Oh, that's right… Nothing."

Hikari groaned as words escaped her lips in a whisper. "Somebody… Please… H-help me…"

…

The thumping of her own feet sounded in Akira's ears as her sister chased her. Gasping, she paused, looking around for an escape. A sharp blow to her skull knocked her to the ground.

"You think can run from me?" Sakura shouted, lifting her foot to stomp on Akira. Akira rolled away only to have Sakura land on her hand. Biting on her lip, Akira gripped her hand and felt a glass bottle smack her skull and everything went black for a moment.

When Akira's eyes fluttered open, she found herself lying down on a bed. Blinking back sleep, she looked around, wondering where she was. Shocked, she found herself in her room at Genkai's. Sitting up, she murmured, "Was it all a dream?"

Sakura's voice answered her. "Not quite."

Akira turned to see Sakura looming behind her, broken bottle in hand. Sakura grinned and spoke again.

"I sincerely hope you didn't think that you escaped. After all, the fun is just beginning."

* * *

Ending Comments: Yeah, I left it on a cliffie... Anywho... What did ya think? Please review!


	26. Chapter 23

Manga Maid's Notes: Hello! Yes, I updated! Sorry for not updating, but I had life and I moved and higher education is a time-consumer. Not that I'm complaining… Anyways, I bring a chapter! I hope you like it.

Thanks to:Arora Borialis, bookworm264816, Ginevra1988, hopeseternalflame, Hoshi Hanabi, Kagalei, kitten8704, Lady of the Celestial Moon, silverfox8080, Vega Moon Star, WishingWanderer, Xeraste, Haruka Oujo, supercyco214, makoko, kagome13cdj, , Kuramasredredrose, AnimeCrazy88, MirageCharon, GlassTier, LunarLazuli, T. R. Blessing, BloodMoonVampyr, Death101- Fox Version, ImmatureChild, The White Tragic Wolf Sayana B, EvilBoyzR2Cute, midnightsprite, rosewhip889, naya124, Crazy anime chick since 1993, ChibiInu, TheAngelFromYourNightmares, angel61991, Torin Jingles, Nekoharuhi, SkyFirestorm, sportyjewel, rebelgoddess19, ., heve-chan, ShadowFireFox13, ,Anad, Crazysally, EvaTheNymphe, HatakeSukura, Kitsune Barra Hime, Kuramacherry, Oblivion Child, randomgirl110, Renrinrin, WerewolvesMoon, Yuki Rein, rainbowdragongirl101, Raylita, Lykopis08, Happy Bubble Sakura, OniLilith, HeartofaRedrose, Darkraigirl, Charlotte-Rose Knows, Springflowerangel, iLuvOrangeSoda, HitsugayaFanGirl, Kiyra'n'Kadaj, Kataline, Dyani91, Angel of Randomosity, maru101, Smiling Crazy, Okina Reika, White Rose Fox, Miorochi, eragon1228, hikariserenity, Mihakaku, Fumiko Hewley, AnimeFan1000, kurobunnyalice, XxXfiction, Rukax7x, Shadowsammy, Kikyou Minamino, 21, Lizzie-Lizzard, SilverMoonKitty, Jemmagirl, Shadow Realm Triforce, Gaara'sLover95, PyroKitsune, Maxim0, A.J Brooks, BookwormSars, MizuKaji, MyLifeInWhole, Nyx'sBlackRose, ChocolateKittey, XxNimith531xX, Marionette Mirror, Takara Rose Oizumi, Neko249, Fallen-Autumn-Leaves, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Adrienne Dark, DarkMajix, AkaChanTora, SolitaryNyght, GhostHoundFanGirl, . Fanfic, Mistress Sunstreaker, mrsbeggins, biganimefan84, NoWarningSignsNoAlibi, tweetygivs, PaleMoonlitAngel061,and Rose's Fox! Thank you all!

As always, thanks to demon of my heart and mind and Tsuki Kiba Kumori, my awesome editors!

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Genkai frowned as she sat at her table, a steaming cup in her hand. Closing her eyes in frustration, she grumbled to herself as she listened to the racket that the demons both outside and inside of her temple were making.

Shishiwakamaru had woken up moments after he had been knocked out and the other demons, particularly Jin, Chu, and Rinku had been intent on never letting him live it down. But soon after, Yusuke had come into her dining room to find Jin and Chu and now all three of them were loudly brawling outside. All the while, Rinku was teasing Shishiwakamaru about being beaten by a human girl, while he yelled back that it wasn't his fault while Suzuka and Touya watched the argument.

Standing up, Genkai picked up her cup and walked out of the room into the living room where Kurama and Kumori were sitting. Kurama turned to her. "Ah, Genkai."

She inclined her head. "Kurama." Her gaze moved to Kumori. "Kumori."

Kumori glanced at Genkai, acknowledging her master. Genkai nodded at Kumori's cousins, and then turned back to Kurama, "So, mind telling me what you and the two idiots were talking about?"

"We were discussing possibilities of how we should deal with Kumori's cousin."

"Ah, I see…" Genkai looked at her cup. "And what did you come up with?"

"Unfortunately, nothing… Since we have no knowledge of what our interference could do, Yusuke decided that it was best to wait it out and be on guard."

"Huh… The dimwit's actually thinking with his brain instead of his fists for once. I never thought I'd live to see the day." Genkai sipped from her cup, softly.

Kumori's look darkened into a frown. "Damn it! If only we knew what he did exactly! Then we wouldn't have to be waiting it out!" She growled. "Argh! I wish I knew how the hell he got to them!"

Genkai nodded. As she did, Kurama began to think while Kumori vented her anger. How had they gotten to them? Well, they had been attacked by demons working for the Aisubachis… and they had been the only two wounded… But the wounds had already been covered with a potion, unless…

Kurama's eyes widened as realization hit him. "Wait a moment."

Kumori and Genkai looked up. Kumori asked, "What is it, fox?"

"To think they would even consider doing something that risky... They would've had to have a most intimate knowledge of potions…"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kumori asked as Kurama kept thinking.

"But still, it is a possibility…"

"Kurama, SPIT IT OUT! " Kumori screeched. "What are you going on about?"

Kurama looked up at both Kumori and Genkai. "What if Akira and Hikari are-?"

He was cut off by a loud thump and a howl of pain. Kumori looked up while Kurama stood as they recognized the howl to be Hikari's. As they did so, Kuwabara burst in the room with Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru close behind. Rinku and Touya were right behind them. In a few more moments, Yusuke, Jin, and Chu were inside, looking on guard.

"What was that?" Kuwabara asked.

Kumori's voice was terse. "Hikari."

There was another thump and this time the sound of glass breaking. However, instead of a howl, there was no sound. Kumori, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara went upstairs to see if there was an intruder while Genkai and the others stayed downstairs, just in case.

Upon opening the door, they saw Hikari was moving around her room as if trying to dodge something. But something was off. Hikari was off balance and directly hitting furniture or walls as if she couldn't see them. Hikari turned to them and looked surprised.

"Hey guys!" she dodged and whacked into a wall. "What's up?"

"Um… Hikari?" Kumori asked, confused.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Yusuke finished.

"Oh… uh, just having a little chat with my Uncle Zassou as you can see…"

Kuwabara and Yusuke looked around the room but saw no one. Kumori looked straight at Hikari, confusion on her face, while Kurama looked very serious.

"Uh… Hikari?" Kuwabara asked. "Are you sure someone's here? I don't sense anyone."

"Yeah. There's no one here," Yusuke added.

Hikari paused and looked at them. "What are you two talking about?" She pointed at a corner. "He's right there!" Suddenly, her eyes became unfocused and she turned to the corner. "Zassou! What did you do with my friends?!" She paused once again and then snapped. "No!" Growling, she ran at the corner and then jumped right into a wall.

Kurama spoke. "We need to restrain her."

At that moment, Hikari smashed into a shelf and when she stood, blood trickled down her face. Yusuke looked at Kurama. "I see what you mean." He looked back to Hikari, who was getting ready for another charge. "We gotta stop her before she seriously hurts someone or herself."

Turning to both of them, Kuwabara asked, "But how? I mean, I don't think Hikari realizes we're here anymore."

Kumori walked up slowly to her friend, who was growling and didn't even notice her approach. However, when she gripped Hikari's wrists, Hikari looked down and snarled. She shook her arms wildly, until Kumori was knocked off her wrists. Kumori then skidded back to the guys.

Kumori bit her lip and then spoke. "We're going to need two demons to hold her."

"What?" Yusuke asked.

"Unless you have iron chains, then that's our only option. I would've said two people, but I know Kuwabara won't hold on as tightly as he can, cause he's an idiot and won't fight girls, so she'll get loose. Keiko and Shizuru could try, but Hikari might end up biting them, which we don't want," Kumori answered.

"Why is that?" Yusuke asked.

Kumori looked at him with a serious face. "Hikari's bites are poisonous. That's because she's technically not an adult yet, so her bites are one of her defenses until she's an adult. It's not as potent as full-blooded wolf demon pups, but it does kill. With a normal wolf demon bite, an enemy demon might die in an hour. With Hikari, a month. Humans die faster. If Hikari bit any human, I'd give them a week to live. A week and a half at max."

"Hikari's poisonous?!" Yusuke asked in shock. "Since when?!"

Kumori shrugged. "Since her blood activated. We found out when Akira and I were…" She trailed off as if catching herself. "Well, anyways, we don't want her to bite anyone. I've seen how it works and it's painful."

"Well, who're we going to get to hold her down?" Kuwabara asked, watching as Hikari ran into another wall.

"Perhaps Jin or Chu would help if we asked," Kurama murmured. He looked at Yusuke. "Yusuke, would you please go ask one of them to come and help?"

"Why me?" Yusuke asked.

"Because you are on best terms with them. They aren't very likely to listen to Kuwabara and while they do consider me a friend, you are closer to them than I. While you do that, I'll try to restrain her until you return."

"Ok, Fox-boy," Yusuke said, turning to the door. "I'll go get one of them." He left the room.

After he left, Kurama turned back to Hikari and took a step forward. She gave no sign of noticing, as she was preoccupied with screaming for her uncle to "Give me back my friends!" As he edged behind her, she growled, glaring at the corner. Before she could jump, however, Kurama wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back.

Instantly, Hikari growled and snapped at him, but Kurama had positioned his arms so that she couldn't bite him. As soon as Hikari realized that, she began to flail her arms, but that also didn't work. Growling, she said, "Zassou! Using demons to help you?! You coward!" All was silent before Hikari gave a well-aimed kick to Kurama's groin.

Kurama grimaced and grunted in pain, as Hikari struggled to free herself. Kuwabara shuddered when he saw what had happened, but instead of standing there he ran in front of Hikari and placed his hands on her shoulders so that Kurama could regain his grip. As he did so, he tried to talk to her.

"Hikari, you need to snap out of it!"

His words had no effect. Instead of recognizing Kuwabara, Hikari growled and tried to punch him. When he moved out of the way, still keeping his hands on her shoulders, Hikari opened her mouth and began to move for one of Kuwabara's hands.

Instantly, he retracted his hands before Hikari could bite one. He looked to Kurama and asked, "You okay, Kurama?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes…"

At that moment, Yusuke came in, Jin following him. As they came in, they saw Hikari growling and struggling violently against Kurama. Quickly both of them came into the room and began to help restrain her. Yusuke grabbed her feet, pulling them up while Jin grabbed her wrists so that Kurama could let go as both of them pulled Hikari into a position people would use to swing a child back and forth by their arms and legs.

Hikari growled and snapped, but it was no use. Their hands were too far away for her to bite. She struggled, but all it succeeded in doing was tiring her out. Suddenly, she began to scream and convulse as if being injured or tortured by some invisible force before becoming unconscious.

Yusuke was the first to break the silence. "What the fuck just happened?"

…

Basten frowned as he forced the half-wolf demon back into unconsciousness. He had woken her first to see if she could relay the message, but it had not worked. Her demon blood was too intent on fighting him, causing her to have control over her own movements. After making sure that she was trapped back into nightmares of her uncle, he turned his attention to the human female.

The human was safely trapped in her room and he was certain that she was awake. He felt her look around, trying to move away from the illusion of her sister, but she was completely in his control. Sensing her emotions, he realized that somehow, she knew that something was off but was too fearful to realize just what it was. She would do nicely. But he had to make some preparations.

Closing his eyes, he focused on suppressing the human's consciousness. He smirked at how easy it was. Humans were always the easiest. One didn't even need their consent to control them. Then, he forced her body to stand. Horror and distress filled the human as she felt pain course through her entire nervous system as she moved against her will with unsteady steps to the door of her room.

…

Jin was silent as he watched Hikari's sleeping face while he held her wrists. It looked anything but peaceful, as if she was having a nightmare. The poor lass, he could only imagine whatever she was going through and even then he wasn't entirely sure…

Yusuke's voice broke Jin's thoughts as he said, "Why the hell did Hikari pass out?"

"Don't look at me, Urameshi!" Kuwabara said. "It's not like I know!"

Kumori's voice was cold and Jin was surprised to hear a hint of nerves in her voice. "I don't know either."

After a bit of silence, Yusuke said, "Ok, I know that look. What are you think about, Fox-boy?"

Everyone turned to Kurama, who had a solemn look on his face. "I have a theory," Kurama cautiously answered. "But I can't be certain."

"What is it?" Kuwabara asked.

"We've assumed that there was only one potion coating the weapons used to injure Hikari and Akira," Kurama said. "What if there were others? Of course, it would take a person who has mastered potions and poisons to accomplish that, but with the evidence..."

Kuwabara spoke up as Yusuke nodded, "So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Kurama said. "As I said before if we had knowledge on what has happened, then maybe we could come up with something…"

"Damn it!" Yusuke exclaimed, irritated. "So you mean, we still can't do anything? Well, what if they do decide to go after Keiko or the others?" As Yusuke spoke, Jin felt an unpleasant wind come through the door.

"I told you," Kumori said, agitated. "They won't."

"Well, how do you know?" Yusuke snapped back. At this, Jin saw movement in the doorway.

"Excuse me," Jin interrupted. "But the other lass, Akira? She be sleepin' same as Hikari here, yes?"

Yusuke answered, "Yeah…"

"Then why she be standin' in the doorway?"

Everyone turned to see that Jin was right. Akira was standing in the doorway, but she looked wrong. Her head was bowed, like her head was too heavy for her neck, with her bangs covering her eyes. Her arms hung loosely and limply at her sides. If anything, she looked like a doll.

Everyone stared, but Kuwabara was the first to speak. "Uh… Hey, Akira. You feeling any better?"

Akira didn't respond. She just stood there, not moving. After a few moments, her head jolted upward, so quick it was nauseating, showing her face. Her gaze looked unfocused and slack, but her mouth was turned up into a demented grin. Then, she opened her mouth and a dark, sinister laugh that was in a man's voice came out of her lips.

"Half-wit," the man's voice said through Akira. "This may be the girl's body, but I am not her."

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the hall, causing the man to look to Akira's left. From the angle she was at, Kumori could see that Genkai, Touya, and her cousins were in the hallway. She supposed that Chu, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, and Suzuka were on guard outside the temple, while Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru were downstairs in case anything was wrong.

Genkai spoke, "Who are you? And what are you doing to my student?"

"Relax, old woman. I am no one of consequence. As for what I'm doing, I'm just using her to deliver a message to the half-breed scum of Aisu's from my master, Muerte. That's all."

Kumori hissed, "And what does he want?"

The man turned his attention back to Kumori. "He wants you to forfeit your right to Leadership of the Clan."

"And why would I do that?"

"As you can see, I can use your human friend here as my puppet," the man said, moving Akira's arm into a grotesque position to demonstrate. "And while I am not yet able to control the half-breed wolf as I can the human, I can control what she sees, feels, hears, tastes, and smells. If you do not relinquish your position as Aisu's heir, well… Let's just say that both of them might have… accidents. It would be so sad, you see, if this human were to kill her own family before committing suicide… Or if the half-wolf was locked away in an asylum ranting on about whatever suits my fancy."

"You bastard!" Kumori spat angrily.

"Oh, and just in case that doesn't work, well, there are other friends, like those two human females and that ice maiden that I can use."

Yusuke and Kuwabara felt their blood boil at the threat. But before they could do anything, the man continued.

"Well anyways, I suppose you need some time to think about it. It's late, so I'll give you the night to think it over, but know this: Master Muerte is not a patient demon, nor is he a demon to be trifled with. For three days, I'll wait for your answer in the forest outside this temple. When you come, come alone."

When he finished, Akira's eyes closed and the grin faded, before she fell like a discarded toy. Kuwabara, who was the closest to her, stopped her from hitting the ground before setting her on the floor. He lightly shook her, but Akira didn't move.

Hissing, Kumori said, "Oh, I'll meet you there, asshole."

Yusuke looked angry. "Stupid bastard! How the hell did he do this?! And what the fuck happened to Akira and Hikari?"

Before Kumori could answer, Leo spoke, "May I?" When Yusuke nodded, he continued, "These two girls, Akira and Hikari was it, are under the influence of a potion created from the Nviares plant. Because of that, whoever made it is controlling their minds and creating hallucinations."

"Ok…" Yusuke said, glancing at the still unconscious forms Hikari and Akira. "That makes sense."

Kuwabara looked up, "So, how do we break it?"

Leo answered, "You must injure the creator."

Yusuke grinned. "Well that's easy! Why didn't you say so before?"

Nobi raised an eyebrow and looked mildly offended. She scoffed, "Easy? You take us too lightly. Those who could create the potion were trained in both strong defense and offense. The potion's creators were known for their ability to escape tight situations and they carried strong poisons on them. So, do not underestimate them and think it will be easy, son of Raizen. Because I assure you, it will not be easy."

"Ok! I get it!" Yusuke said, "So, this guy's not going down without a fight. I'll still kick his ass."

"No, Yusuke," Kurama said. "Nobi means this person, whoever he is, is very dangerous."

"Precisely," Nobi said, "And I know that voice and who made the potion, and you are in for more trouble than you plan."

Leo looked at her, eyes wide. "You don't mean it's Basten?" Nobi nodded and he said, "That's not good."

Yusuke said, "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Who the hell is this Basten guy?"

Leo explained. "Basten is a member of our clan."

"Yeah, I got that part, funnily enough," Yusuke interrupted.

Leo continued as if the interruption hadn't happened. "He creates poisons and potions of the strongest kind for our clan to use. Basten is a friend of Muerte's, though we do not know what has created their bond. On his own strength however, Basten is highly lethal, but with his toxins, he's a suicide mission. At least one of you could die."

Yusuke was quiet for a moment as he thought about this new information. But apparently, that moment was too long for Kuwabara.

"Urameshi! Don't tell me you're thinking about not going after this guy?!" Kuwabara snapped. "We have to go after him! He's a coward, using two girls to get to us! If he was a real man, he'd fight us himself!"

"I know that Kuwabara, but still…"

"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara yelled. "Don't tell me this guy has you scared!"

"OF COURSE NOT, YOU IDIOT!" Yusuke snapped back at his friend, "I'M THINKING!"

"Yusuke can think?" asked Kumori in mock surprise. "We'd better alert the media!"

A frowned etched itself into Yusuke's face as Kuwabara snickered. "Shut up!" he yelled, annoyed. "I can so think! How do you think I beat Hiei?!"

"Dumb luck," Kumori deadpanned

An angry noise came from Yusuke's throat, but before he could actually articulate his ire, Genkai spoke up, "Now's not the time to argue with each other, you two."

Scowling, Yusuke said, "I know that!"

"Yes, Sensei."

Genkai shook her head in annoyance and turned to look at the others. "We'll need a couple of people to stay with Akira and Hikari while we head downstairs. Jin. Touya. Can you stay with them?"

Both nodded and after that was settled, the rest of the group headed downstairs. When they were downstairs, Genkai lead them into the kitchen and had them sit at the table. Once everyone sat, she spoke, "Now, we need to come up with a strategy."

Kumori bristled, "Forget that! I'm going to go find this asshole and kill him!"

"I'm with Kumori!" Kuwabara supplied. He lifted his fist and clenched it tight to prove his point, before hitting the table. "We need to take this fight to him before he hurts anyone else!"

"Hn."

Kuwabara spun to see Hiei standing behind him in the doorway. "Whoa! When did you get here, Shrimp?"

"Hn."

Shrugging it off, Kuwabara turned to the rest of the group in the room. "Like I was saying, we need to stop him before he hurts anyone else! What if he hurt Keiko or Yukina?! He's already threatened them if Kumori doesn't do what he says! We gotta find him and stop him now!"

Kurama raised his hand up to calm Kuwabara and Kumori. "No, we need to calm down. We need to think, how is he doing this?"

"The creepy plant of doom!" Kumori snapped, already impatient. "We know that, Kurama!"

"Yes…But how? Is there a distance limit? Or is there an antidote besides injuring Basten?" Kurama asked. "If we are not careful, others could get hurt."

Leo spoke up. "Excuse me, but perhaps I can offer some light here. There is a distance limit, but-"

"Why didn't you say that before?!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"If you had let me finish, I could've told you why. It's because none of us know the limit exactly. As we've told you, the plant was wiped out many years ago and when it was wiped out, almost all the information on it was destroyed as well."

"Yeah. Some stories say the limit was only a few feet, but others say the limit could go on to the other Worlds," Talim added.

"As for an antidote," Leo continued, "if there was one, no one ever thought to find it or even try to make one. That's why the plant was eradicated so thoroughly after the betrayal."

Kurama asked, "What if we could perhaps get the girls to move?"

"Well, if we could somehow do it without Basten realizing, we could figure out the limit," Leo answered.

"What good would that do?" Yusuke asked, partially irritated at all the talk.

"Moron," Genkai barked. "If we find the limit, we can free Akira and Hikari and we can find him."

"Exactly, if we can triangulate his position, then we can find him, and break his control." Kurama said.

"In other words; find the bastard, and kick his ass!" Kumori said, now sounding a bit happier at the idea.

"Exactly, but first…we'll need to find him." Genkai said. She glanced out a window to see how late it was. "It's getting late. We'll need our strength first thing tomorrow and we need to stay together." She looked at Kuwabara and Yusuke, "You two, tell Shizuru and Keiko that they're going to have to stay here for a while. We don't want anyone attacking them while they're alone. Also, we're going to have to set up watches on the two girls, since Yomi will probably want his fighters back and we don't want any sneak attacks from Basten using them. We'll decide that when you both get back."

Yusuke and Kuwabara nodded before going off to find Keiko and Shizuru. They eventually found them sitting with Yukina. When they approached, Keiko came up to them.

"Yusuke, what's going on?" Keiko asked, looking worried. "Genkai said she felt something was wrong and then ordered Chu and the others out while she ran upstairs with Touya and Kumori's cousins. Is everything okay?"

Yukina watched them worriedly, as Shizuru piped up, "Yeah, bro. What the hell's happening exactly?"

"Look sis," Kuwabara said, looking at her uncertainly, "You and Keiko gotta stay here for a little while."

"What?!" Shizuru asked.

"Why?!" Keiko inquired, shocked. "Did something happen?"

"Kinda," Yusuke shrugged. "Look, it's just important that you guys stay here for right now, okay?"

"But why, Yusuke?"

"I'll tell you later Keiko."

"Oh no," Shizuru piped up. "You two aren't getting out of it that easily. Kazuma, tell me."

"Look sis, we'll tell you in a little bit, okay? Now's not a good time." At her angry look, he continued, "I promise, Sis, we'll tell you everything. But Genkai needs us back for a little longer, then we'll explain."

Shizuru stared at him before giving in. "Fine. But if you don't tell me, you'll be in a world of hurt, Kazuma."

"Got it, Sis." Quickly, he and Yusuke left to go find Chu and the others to tell them of Genkai's plans.

…

Sitting at his desk, Koenma looked his phone and then at the paper he'd been handed by Ayame as soon as he returned and back again. He completed this routine a few more time before the doors to his office opened to reveal Botan standing there. He frowned deeper at the paper as Botan came up to him.

"Sir?" Botan asked. "It's quite late; shouldn't we have gotten back to Genkai's temple by now?"

"We can't, Botan," Koenma said, staring at the paper grimly as if it were his own death sentence.

"Why not?"

"Look." He handed her the paper. Quickly, she read it over before her eyes widened in shock.

"What?! King Yama's ordered us not to go back?! Why?"

"Correction: My father's ordered me not to go back. Apparently, he got wind that the attack had to do with Aisubachi clan. If it does, he doesn't want any retaliation from the Aisubachi clan on Spirit World for us meddling in their personal affairs. So, until he changes his mind or the matter has been solved, I'm not allowed to communicate with Kumori, Akira, or Hikari except for business."

"Then why can't I go back?"

"You can, Botan. But you will be watched heavily by SDF if you do, to make sure that I'm not using you to indirectly meddle in this matter."

"Why of all the silly and paranoid things…" Botan sighed before turning to Koenma. "Well, what are we going to do now?"

Folding his hand together, Koenma said, "I'm not sure right now, Botan. What with my father's order and the rule that I am not allowed to communicate with Yusuke or the other ex-Reikai Tantei besides for business since their discharge, I can't do anything right now. I just hope everything goes well for them…"

…

Basten frowned as he listened through the human girl's weak ears. How humans could live with such dulled senses, he'd never understand. Unfortunately for him, those friends of the half-breed had moved out of the human's hearing range and her body was being watched. However, he listened just in case they came back up to inform the two demons guarding his captives of their plans.

At that exact moment, his concentration was broken as a voice entered his real ear. "Basten, have you informed the half-breed?"

"Yes, Master Muerte. I have done as you ordered."

"Excellent."

"Sir… There is one thing I want to mention to you-"

"Not now, Basten. I need to meet with some of our associates and see how things are going from their end."

"But sir, it's very important!"

"Later, Basten. You can tell me later."

As the line cut dead, Basten rubbed his face. He murmured worriedly, "Foolish kitten… You're going to get yourself killed this way."

Turning his mind back to the human's, he cursed under his breath. The simple distraction and worry he was feeling had allowed the girl to begin dreaming her own dreams. While it would take only a few minutes to control the dream, it would take about an hour to clear the dream and hear what her ears were picking up with clarity. All he'd be able to do right now was force her to be in a state of waking. If he did that, he would pick up a mish-mash of the dialogue in her dream and what she was hearing. Closing his eyes, he forced her into a state of semi-waking and listened.

Most of what he heard was useless junk from her dream, but as he listened he heard Jin speak, though his voice was soft through the thick dream.

"Yusuke… be doin'… here?"

"Genkai said… … go…"

"Why?"

Basten tried to listen as Yusuke began answering Touya's question. But all he could pick up was 'message', 'Yomi', and 'waiting'. Both demons answered with a flat 'no' and began speaking but he got out of the garbled thoughts, 'Yomi', 'message', and 'Kurama'.

While trying to listen to further conversation, the human girl's dream suddenly shifted from whatever nonsense she had been dreaming about to a young demon woman dressed in white with long black hair and shocking blue-violet eyes, startling him in the process. She turned to face him and gave him a stony look.

As he looked at her, he felt a thought speak to him, as cold as the woman's look and just as penetrating: _You are not welcome into this mind. Leave now or suffer the severe consequences._

Shivering, he retracted from the human's mind, though he didn't relinquish his grip. He tried to comprehend what he had just experienced, but nothing had ever been like that. Even though he didn't dare go back to check, he could feel white-hot anger emanating from the human girl's mind. Obviously, whatever had spoken to him could feel his hold on her and was letting him know what he had done was not welcome.

He focused to the wolf half-breed, but felt no response or backlash. He did feel her blood trying to fight the control, but it was nothing compared to whatever had spoken to him from the human. He shook himself.

"Pull it together, Basten. There is no way that was real. No way whatsoever."

Even as he said those words, however, he felt anxiety creep up his spine, informing him that whatever that was, it was not to be messed with.

…

Bored, Yusuke waited at the bathroom door for Keiko to get done using it. Kurama stood next to him, also awaiting his turn. Kurama was quiet, which made Yusuke wonder if he was also thinking back to the meeting after Kuwabara and Yusuke had returned from what Genkai had told them to do.

When Yusuke and Kuwabara had talked with all of Yomi's six fighters, they had each turned down going back, explaining that Yomi wanted them to return with Kurama. After that, Genkai had decided to round up the four demons not watching the girls and explain the plan to them, which she would later tell Jin and Touya when they were done.

As Genkai finished up, they had decided watches. Kurama had also mentioned that it would be wise to watch the perimeter of the temple to make sure they were not attacked, which was agreed on. While there was some minor arguments about who would go when, it had been decided that Kuwabara would take the first watch for Akira and Hikari, while Hiei would guard the perimeter.

Shortly thereafter, the meeting had broken up. While Hiei and Kuwabara had left to go to their respective posts, everyone else had gone off to do their own thing. Genkai had gone upstairs to inform Jin and Touya of the plan, Chu and Rinku had begun arguing with Shishi watching uninterested, Kumori had gone off to find a phone and call Mrs. Wagerman to inform her that she, Akira, and Hikari were staying at a friend's house, and Suzuka had run off to the bathroom to get it first, which had caused the line that he and Kurama were now in.

Yusuke heard the shower turn on and groaned. Knowing Keiko, he and Kurama would be here for a while until she was done. Turning to Kurama, he asked, "You okay, man? You've been quiet since the meeting got out."

Kurama glanced at him before answering. "I am fine, Yusuke. Just thinking."

"Are you sure? I haven't seen you look that serious for a while. Are you worried about what might happen to Hikari and Akira if we can't free them?"

It was quiet for a while before Kurama answered. "Partially. I'm more thinking of what to do when we find Basten."

"That's easy Kurama, we'll just injure the guy to break the spell thing and then beat him into the concrete."

"What if that plan doesn't work, Yusuke?"

"What, you mean like injuring him doesn't free them? I dunno." He clapped Kurama on the shoulder. "But hey, if that happens we'll figure it out. Anyways, so you were thinking of what to do if it didn't work?"

"Yes."

At that moment, Keiko came out of the bathroom in her pajamas with a towel around her head. "Ok, guys, you can have the bathroom now."

"Thanks, babe," Yusuke called after her as she left. He went to step inside, but before he did so, he paused. "So, Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Just what exactly are you going to do? Y'know, if they aren't freed from this Basten guy's grip?"

Kurama didn't answer. But Yusuke could feel Kurama's response emanating around him in three simple words: _I'll kill him._

* * *

Ending Comments: Same old, same old! Tell me what you think! Did you like it? Please review!


	27. Chapter 24

MangaMaid's Notes: Hello! I am back after several months. Sorry! Anyways... I bring a new chapter! I hope you like it!

Thank you to all who favorite, review, etc., etc. I'm sorry there's no list, but I lost it... So... Yeah. No list this time, but thank you all! Also thanks to my editors!

Enjoy!

* * *

As the sun rose, pale light crept upon the temple. Though the night had passed swiftly, for the occupants inside the temple it felt as if it had dragged on. As the light hit the back of the temple, it landed on Kumori who was sitting in Hiei's tree, meditating.

Her eyes were closed, pale shadows running underneath her eyes. She sat in a basic meditation pose, trying to relax. She hadn't been able to sleep at all last night, what with worrying about her friends and the stress of her clan and Muerte bothering her. Finally, after warring with her mind for several hours, she had left her bed and gone to Hiei's tree to meditate.

While she meditated, a figure appeared in front of her. Hiei stared at the young hanyou, smirking as he raised his energy enough to disturb hers. As his fierce energy encountered her calm one, she twitched and he opened his jagan to hear her thoughts. 'Ignore Hiei, Ignore Hiei, ignore Hiei…' She chanted her eye twitching.

"Hn." He grunted. "You are aware that I can hear you?"

Kumori's eyes snapped open as she glared at him. "Get out of my head, asshole."

A smirk crossed Hiei's mouth. "Hn."

Her lips twitched as if she was trying not to smile. "Bastard…" She jumped down from the tree and snapped at him, "Don't follow me!" She then turned and headed to the temple.

Hiei jumped down after her, marching behind her and raising his energy so it disturbed the flow of hers. "Hn."

Kumori twitched, spinning around so she was walking backwards. "Hiei! Stop following me! I don't have the patience to deal with you right now! I'm having a hard enough time dealing with my own emotions, I don't want to have to deal with yours, too!"

"Hn."

"Prick."

"Onna."

"Bastard."

"Wench."

"Asshole!"

"Hey, Kuwabara, lookit the love-birds."

Both Hiei and Kumori turned to the training grounds where Kuwabara and Yusuke were sparring. "SHUT UP, DETECTIVE!" they yelled in unison.

Yusuke laughed. "Sheesh! I was only making a joke! Didn't hafta get so defensive!"

Kumori hissed before heading into the temple while Hiei 'hn'ed and disappeared into the trees. After that, Yusuke turned back to Kuwabara. "What's got into them?"

"Who cares? Are we gonna finish this, Urameshi?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a wad!"

"That's it!" Kuwabara drew his Spirit Sword and charged Yusuke, who easily dodged. "You're going down!"

"Ooh! I'm so scared!" Yusuke taunted as he dodged another lunge from Kuwabara. "Come on Kuwabara, can't you do better than that?"

In response, Kuwabara growled and went back to slashing wildly at Yusuke. Yusuke jumped away, laughing as Kuwabara kept missing him.

"Darnit Urameshi!" the human yelled. "Hold still!"

"And let you hit me? Fat chance!"

"Argh!"

"Missed!"

"You two appear to be in a better mood today."

Both turned to see Kurama standing behind them. "Hey Kurama," Yusuke greeted. "I thought you were inside helping Yukina cook for everyone since Keiko's still sleeping."

"I am," Kurama affirmed, nodding his head. "I simply came to get some medicinal herbs from the garden."

Yusuke and Kuwabara nodded, returning to their sparring session while Kurama made his way to the garden. While he walked in the garden, he began sensing the energy of the plants. When he finally came to the right plants, he plucked a few leaves before returning to the temple and cooking area.

When he walked in, he saw that Yukina had placed a kettle on the stove while doing some cooking. Genkai already held a cup of steaming tea in her hand while sitting at the table. Yukina turned to him and said, "Kurama, did you get the leaves you needed?"

As Kurama began to crush the leaves, he murmured, "Yes. These added to the tea you brewed should relax some of the stress."

"I hope it works." A worried look crossed her face. "I saw Kumori come in. Do you think the tea could help her?"

"Perhaps... Though I doubt it will have as much of an effect as when Akira and Hikari are back to themselves." He picked up a few cups and placed a portion of the crushed leaves into each cup after Yukina had poured the tea. After that, he placed them on a tray and carried them off while Yukina returned to making breakfast.

It didn't take too long for Kurama to find Kumori. She sat in the main room of the temple, trying to meditate. The attempt didn't look too successful since Kumori's face was not one of peace, but one of anxiety. When he approached, she spoke, her voice short. "I don't want to be bothered Kurama."

"I only brought some tea. It should relieve your stress levels and help your meditation."

Kumori sighed and put her hands out. When the cup was placed in her hands, she took a sip, pausing for a moment. Taking another sip, she closed her eyes, set the cup down, and went back to meditating.

Taking it as his cue to leave, Kurama left the room and walked upstairs. When he reached the room, Akira and Hikari were in, he sat next to Jin and Touya, who had retaken watching over them that morning. Handing them each a cup, he said, "How are things going?"

"They're still the same." Touya responded.

"I see…"

Jin took a sip of his tea before looking at them. "I can't help but be wonderin' what the lasses be dreamin' 'bout. Lookin' at their faces, it must not be pleasant, or so I say."

"Yes, well, we can only wonder," Touya murmured, while Kurama sat down next to him.

"Aye. That be true."

…

Hikari breathed hard as she watched her uncle stand before her, looking quite composed and relaxed. She looked down to see the cuts and gashes covering her body before staring at her uncle. "I… I don't get it…" She fell to her knees. "How… How can you still be standing…?"

"Simple. Unlike you, I am not a half-breed mutt."

Standing, Hikari tried to walk toward her uncle, but she felt her legs give out. As she pushed herself up on her hands, Zasshou snapped his fingers. When he did so, several little demons appeared.

Each was small and dark acid green in color. They had gangly bodies with round heads that had no eyes or discernible nose. The only thing that she could see was large mouths with rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

Her uncle smirked. "Lovely things aren't they?" He stroked one's head, which reacted by nuzzling into his hand, similar to a dog. "I hope you enjoy them. They'll be the last thing you see." He snapped his fingers again and the demons began to advance.

Hikari tried to move away, but the little demons kept approaching until finally they sunk their teeth into her. She gave an ear-piercing shriek as they began to gnaw and tear into her flesh. As they began to cover her, Zasshou began to laugh.

…

Akira didn't know where she was. She could see nothing but blackness for miles. However, that didn't make her feel comfortable. The darkness around her felt _alive_, which set her on alert.

Footsteps sounded behind her, causing her to spin. She reached for her staff, only to find it missing. A demented chuckle came from the darkness, causing Akira to be on edge. She looked around for the source of the noise, but saw nothing until a bloody foot came into view.

Sakura came out of nowhere, covered from head to toe in blood, a sharp broken bottle in hand. "Akira~!" she half-sang as she appeared. "I found you!"

Akira tried to move, but found herself frozen. Sakura edged closer. "Don't worry," she murmured as she raised the bottle high over her head. "This won't hurt a bit." Then the bottle came down.

…

Yusuke sighed as he leaned back on the grass. Looking up at the clear sky above him, he frowned. It was probably about eight in the morning now, which meant he had been sparring with Kuwabara for about an hour.

"All right Urameshi, one more!" Kuwabara said.

"No thanks."

"You sure?" When Yusuke didn't respond, Kuwabara stood over him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong Kuwabara?"

"C'mon Urameshi. I know you better than that. You never pass up an opportunity to fight unless there's something wrong." When Yusuke ignored him once again, he asked, "Is it because of what happened with Akira and Hikari?"

"Well, yeah!" Yusuke said. "I mean that bastard got to them and now we're stuck here sitting on our asses. I mean, we are going to do something, but what if he goes after Keiko before we move?" Yusuke stood up, nearly knocking his skull against Kuwabara's, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It just pisses me off."

"And how do you think the rest of us feel?" When Yusuke looked at him, Kuwabara frowned. "Look, I know you're angry and hell, I am too! That bastard also threatened Yukina and my sister, or did you forget that? And I can't speak for Kurama, but he was there when Akira got attacked and we all know their families are pretty close. That's got to bother him at least a little. As for the shrimp, well…" Kuwabara shrugged. "I don't know why he'd care, but if he's staying put then obviously he's got some reason. Anyways, the point is, you're not the only one who's bothered by this, Urameshi!"

Yusuke glared at Kuwabara. "I know that!"

"Then stop sulking! You look like a little kid!" Before he could continue, Yusuke's fist shot out and hit Kuwabara square in the jaw, sending him flying. After he'd landing and skidded to a halt, Kuwabara sat up, wiped away the blood now trickling down his mouth, and rubbed his jaw. A grin crept up his face. "You feel better now, Urameshi?"

Startled, Yusuke looked at his best friend. Then a smile crept up his face. "You're a crazy son of a bitch sometimes. You know that Kuwabara?" He strode over and helped his friend get to his feet.

Before they could continue, the door to the temple opened, catching their attention. Keiko stood in the doorway, watching them.

Yusuke waved at her. "What's up, Keiko?"

"Kurama said it's probably time to start moving Akira and Hikari."

"Right." Kuwabara looked at him. "You ready?"

Yusuke cracked his knuckles, a demonic grin on his face. "Oh yeah. It's time to kick some ass."

…

Basten hissed, feeling his grip on the girls' minds start to weaken. "No…what is going on…?" He focused and then a smile crossed his face. "Oh… I see… I just need to move closer then." A chuckle escaped him as he moved closer toward the temple.

…

Mitsuko closed her eyes and focused on searching for Akira's soul. Ever since she had scared off the demon that had somehow weaseled his way into the girl, she hadn't been able to feel Akira.

At that moment, she found Akira's soul. At least, it felt like Akira's soul. It was misshapen, as if parts of it were disappearing. Not to mention it felt frightened and small, like a child's. As she watched Akira's soul, she felt the sharp cold that had signaled her to the original intrusion. When the cold had passed, more of Akira's soul was gone and it was more afraid.

Her eyes shot open as she realized that whatever that monster had made was eating at Akira's soul. Glancing around the interior of the Heart, she tried to figure out which way the demon was. Finally, she felt his energy, moving closer, probably in response to the fact that Akira's soul was starting to be eaten away at.

Someone needed to know where he was. If not, Akira would be gone sooner rather than later. Closing her eyes again, she was silent before forcing her spirit out of her heart. Although she would have to return soon, at least she could get the message to someone.

…

Impatience struck Kumori as she stood next to her two friends, still lying unconscious. She rubbed her temples, trying not to kill Yusuke who was going over the plan once again. While they moved Hikari and Akira to track down the demon who was doing this, Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru were to stay inside with Genkai and the six demons who were visiting until it was deemed safe, just in case.

"Can we get a move on, _please_?" Kumori asked, after Yusuke had finished.

"Wait a moment," Kuwabara spoke up, causing Kumori to silently hiss under her breath. "What are we going to do with them after they wake up? We can't just leave them alone."

Yusuke scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah. I didn't think about that."

In response, Kumori groaned and flopped on the floor. She then lifted her head to look at Yusuke. "Are you kidding me?! Really?!"

"Hey! At least we're doing something, Kumori!" Yusuke snapped.

"Yeah… But not fast enough!"

"Well, it's not my fault you have a crappy family!"

"Oh yeah?! Well, let me tell you-!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused both of them to look at Kurama, who was given them an annoyed look which surprised them both. "I hate to interrupt, but arguing will not help the situation."

"Oh yeah? Well then, what's your plan, fox boy?" Yusuke snapped. "Like Kuwabara said, we can't just leave them alone while we go and deal with this asshole."

"I didn't intend to do that Yusuke."

"Well, then what's your plan?"

"Maybe if you shut up long enough, he'd be able to tell you." Kumori muttered.

Before Yusuke could respond, a voice spoke up, quiet but firm. "Excuse me…"

Everyone turned to see a young woman standing in front of the doorway, blocking it. She had long, raven hair and blue-violet eyes that seemed to glow with an eerie light. A white dress covered her, making her look very much like an angel. A stressed expression, however, marred her face.

"Who are you?!" Yusuke asked.

"You're going about this the wrong way." The woman's voice was the epitome of calm, even though she looked anxious.

"Huh?"

"The demon you seek is nearby. You don't need to move them." She nodded her head at Hikari and Akira's comatose bodies.

"And why the hell should we trust you?" Yusuke asked, glaring at her. "How do we know you don't work for the bastard?"

"Me? Working for someone who loathes humans?" The woman scoffed, "I don't think so…" Her voice became agitated. "Listen. That demon is a little ways off in the forest behind this place. If you want to save your friends, you need to hurry. What he filled them with is eating at their souls. If you don't hurry, by the time you find him, all you'll have left of your friends are lifeless shells." Before Yusuke could respond, Kumori spun, walking out the door and down the hall a few feet before the others reacted.

"Kumori!" Kuwabara snapped.

"Listen idiot," Kumori said, her voice cold as she spun back around. "If my best friends are on the line, I'll take whatever help I can get."

"But what if it is a trap?" Kurama asked.

"If it is, then I'll deal with it. If what she says is true, then it's our only way of getting him."

"Fine. But let's make sure first." Yusuke turned back to the woman. "Hey lady-!" But there was no one there. "Huh?"

"Where'd she go?" Kuwabara asked, startled.

Kumori paused to look back before shrugging and walking on forward. "You can worry about that later. Right now, I'm taking her help, with or without you." Without another word, she strode through the temple, going out the back door while Talim, Nobi, and Leo followed her. Quickly, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei also followed Kumori.

Before Kumori could reach the forest, she felt a hand grab the collar of her shirt. She stopped to glare at Nobi who looked at her, while the others stopped to see why Nobi had stopped them from moving. "What?"

"You do realize that you're doing precisely what Basten wants by going out to find him?" Nobi asked.

"Yes."

"So, you realize he's not going to meet with you, correct?" When no one responded, Nobi continued, "Did you not notice how he gave you no specific place to meet him? He gave you a forest where he can easily ambush you."

Kumori nodded. "Okay… Got it. Thank you. But why are you telling me this?" Shrugging, Nobi looked away as Kumori turned back to the forest. "Well, damn," she cursed. "Now what?"

A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked at Yusuke. "Hey don't sweat it, Kumori. We got your back, remember?" He looked at Hiei. "Hiei, do you know where this prick is?"

"Hn." Hiei removed his bandana, closing his eyes as his Jagan opened. All was quiet for a moment. "The fool is not too far. He saw us coming with her and took off into a clearing. He wants to talk."

"Can you show us where he is, Hiei?" Yusuke asked.

In response, Yusuke received a look. "Naturally."

Kumori walked into the forest. "Let's go then!"

It didn't take too long to find the clearing. It was wide, wide enough to allow a full fight to commence. In the middle sat a lone figure who seemed to be mediating. However, when they entered the clearing, he looked up and stood, giving everyone a full view of him.

It was obvious he was member of the Aisubachi clan by the black cat ears peering out from his grimy black hair that hung in his face. His face was bony, the skin a sallow color. However, his eyes glowed out from under the bangs that hid them.

"Basten…" Nobi hissed, taking a step back as her ears flattened against her skull.

"The hell?" Yusuke asked. "This guy only looks a few more years older than us."  
"Well, so does Kurama's Youko form, Urameshi." Kuwabara piped up.

"Oh yeah."

Basten ignored all the conversation until his eyes landed on Kumori. His voice crossed over the clearing. "I thought I told you to come alone." He looked displeased.

"Yeah, yeah." Yusuke said. "You did, but we decided to come with her on our own. You see, unlike you, we don't take orders too well. Especially not from heartless bastards."

"Ah…" The demon closed his eyes. "I'm surprised. You would actually leave your friends alone and risk their wellbeing while they're still in my control? I'm sure they'll both thank you for the nightmares."

"What?!"

"I thought you would've guessed by now. As I told you, I can control what they see, feel, hear, taste, and smell. But as I do so, my potion also eats at their souls. It's quite amusing actually. Reliving your worst horrors while you turn into nothing. And such wonderful fear they have too! I mean, who would have guessed at the skeletons hiding in their closets?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like that little human girl. It's no wonder she can take such beatings from demons, given the torture she's gone through."

"Torture? What torture?"

"Oh…?" Basten turned to Kumori, his eyes glinting with a wild light. "You haven't told them? Did you think you could hide it forever?"

"It wasn't mine to share."

Yusuke turned to Kumori. "What do you mean? What's going on?!"

"Well, if she won't tell you, I will." A cruel grin clawed its way up Basten's face. "That human girl's sister, the second oldest? She's been beating her for years."

"What?"

The grin turned into a sadistic smile. "Yes. Sad isn't it?" Seeing the disbelief in both Yusuke and Kuwabara's faces, he added, "Well, if you don't believe me, you could always ask your fox. He knows about it."

Turning to look at Kurama, both Kuwabara and Yusuke saw the icy look Kurama was giving Basten. Yusuke asked slowly, "Is that true?" When Kurama didn't answer, Yusuke asked again, "Kurama, is it really true what he said?"

Softly, Kurama murmured, "Yes."

As shock registered on both Kuwabara and Yusuke's faces, a chuckle escaped Basten. "How amusing. Ah well, it's too late to do anything for her now. Her past is already eating away at her." Basten smirked, "And who knows? Perhaps when her soul is almost all gone, I'll use her body to torture and kill her family, particularly the young ones. That way, I'll feel all her horror and sorrow until she dissipates into nothingness. The best part, though, is that there will be nothing she can do to stop it."

Seconds later, a pale, clawed fist rammed into Basten's abdomen, knocking him into the air. He hit a few trees before hitting the ground. Sitting up, Basten spat, blood trickling out of his mouth, only to see a 7-foot fox demon standing where Kurama had been.

Youko glared down at the demon whose sunken eyes, glittering madly in fear and malice, stared up at him. He growled low in his throat. "So, you find it amusing to prey upon others and torment them with their own fears?"

"Why not?" Basten asked amused. "Fear is a wonderful thing. Using fear, one can make even the most powerful of demons tremble and within moments reduce him back to the state of a quivering child, clinging to his mother's skirts." He grinned up malevolently at them all. "I find great enjoyment in seeing others fears. Seeing what keeps them awake at night. It's so… _delicious_ to see a victim trapped in their own nightmares."

Yusuke snapped. "You sick bastard!"

"Ah, yes. The half-breed spawn of Lord Raizen and ruler of Tourin. I'm sure you have some delectable fears that you don't share with anyone. If only I could have a taste at what you fear…" Basten paused and his eyes landed on Kumori. "But alas, I am only here to make sure that scum of Aisu's does not return to the clan or try to claim leadership over the clan."

Nobi spoke, her tone cold. "The law states that neither person trying to gain leadership-"

"Is supposed to interfere with the other," Basten finished. "Yes, Nobi. I am aware of the rules, as if anyone listens to them nowadays. But technically, Muerte is not doing anything to Kumori." He turned his dark eyes on her. "Tell me, how do you feel, knowing that all training and preparing that you were forced to endure during your childhood will never amount to anything?"

Nobi was silent, but her eyes seemed to glow red for a fraction of a second. A hiss, however, came from Talim while Leo smiled darkly. He spoke while smiling, but his tone was colder and harsher than a raging blizzard, "Why Basten, I never thought a purist like yourself would insult one of the few members of the clan who's blood is still pure."

"She lost her purity when she sided with the half-breed," Basten answered coldly.

"Who said I sided with anyone?" Nobi asked, giving Basten a dirty look. "I came as a favor to Niero. Nothing more."

"Now, now..." Basten said, a smirk creeping on his face. "No need to get upset, Nobi. If you have not sided with the half-breed then perhaps we can have you vouch for Muerte."

"I will vouch for the better Leader be it a Halfling or not," Nobi answered.

A ghost of smile touched his lips. "Well, then… I hope you can forgive me." From seemingly nowhere, Basten pulled out a mask and a vial of a pale, blue-grey liquid. After pulling his mask over his face, he opened it and a grey gas flew out, covering the clearing before they could do anything to protect themselves.

As the smoke covered them, Nobi, Leo, Talim, and Kumori began to hack and wobble. Soon after, Nobi hit the ground, passed out. Leo, Talim, and Kumori, however, were still coughing and hacking, although Talim looked very woozy.

"What the fuck is this?" Yusuke snapped.

"Relax," Basten said. "It's a simple sleeping mixture from my clan mixed with a hint of rue. The more Aisubachi blood you have, the more effective it is…" As Talim fell, Basten looked at Leo and Kumori. A snicker escaped him when both staggered and he spoke to them. "Try all you two want, it's no use. If you even have a drop of Aisubachi blood in your veins, you will fall."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke quipped, stepping froward. "So your magic smoke may work on them, but it sure as hell won't work on us!"

"That's right!" Kuwabara interjected. "We're not part of your clan!"

Closing his eyes, Basten began to laugh. He tossed his head back and the laughter grew in volume.

"What's so funny?" Yusuke asked.

"You're not really my concern," Basten said. He pointed to Kumori. "Only the half-breed is." He waved his hand and the smoke dissipated.

Using that moment, Leo lunged forward only for Basten disappear. Still in mid-lunge, Leo looked for his opponent only to have Basten appear standing next to his shoulder. He leaned to Leo's ear and muttered, "Much too slow." A loud thwack resounded as Basten struck Leo behind the neck, knocking the younger man unconscious as Leo hit the ground hard.

"Coward!" Kuwabara called out to him. "How can you do that to your own family?!" When Basten didn't respond, he snapped, "Answer me!"

"Fool. He's not going to answer you." Hiei answered, still watching the cat demon. "You're a human."

Realizing what Hiei meant, Kuwabara glared at Basten. "Oh! So that's how it is huh?! I'll show you!" Drawing his Spirit Sword, he began to charge only to have Kumori appear out of nowhere in front of him. He stopped suddenly, nearly falling flat on his face. When he regained balance, he snapped, "Kumori! What the heck are you doing protecting this guy?!"

Kumori turned away, not looking at Kuwabara. "You stay out of this. That goes for all of you." She then glanced back at the four people behind her. Her irises became red as she spoke. "This is _my_ fight."

Smirking, Basten said, "Refusing aid from a human?" He laughed, "So you do have some demon in you after all. I would've thought your infected blood would've destroyed that already."

Hissing, Kumori drew her sword before disappearing. Within moments, her sword hit the dirt where Basten had been standing only moments before. The tip of her sword was crimson with a little bit of blood while Basten had a light cut on his right shoulder.

"You've got a bit of speed in you, I'll give you that. But speed alone will do nothing to help. You were aiming to take my arm, correct? Even if you had been all demon, it wouldn't have happened. Once humans come into contact with you, you're tainted, weakened by them."

Kumori glared, a dark smile crossing her lips. "Next time, I'll aim for your throat. Maybe then you'll shut up."

A scoff rose out of Basten's throat before he glared. "Fine." He prepared himself and turned to Kumori. He raised a hand and gestured for her to approach. "Come at me, then."

Kumori smirked, walking around Basten in a wide circle. "You know, I haven't had to do this in a while. Consider yourself honored…" She said, her form flickering in and out of existence. She vanished into the shadows, and Basten started to sweat.

"Uh…Where's Kumori?" Kuwabara asked, looking around.

Youko's eyes widened fractionally. "That technique…!"

"Huh?" Yusuke turned to him, while Hiei glanced at him.

"You recognize it, fox?"

Youko nodded. "It's an ancient technique used only by a breed of panther demons."

"Where are you, you little brat!?" Basten yelled, looking around wildly. His eyes were wide and crazed, darting around to every shadow. A branch cracked to his left, and he spun around. "Found you!"

"Not quite!" Kumori yelled, landing a fierce punch from the right to send him into the air. She jumped up and swung her sword down. "Die!"

Basten smirked, vanishing just before she struck him. Kumori landed in the center of the clearing, a shocked expression on her face. She spun around, to see Basten lunging for her with his claws covered in a blue substance. The claws sunk into her shoulder, and her mouth opened in a screech of pain. Basten murmured, "I'll admit, you're faster than I expected. However, that is useless unless you can hit me. I must ask you, where did you learn that technique?"

"Asshole…" Kumori muttered, her eyes drifting closed as she went limp. She hit the ground, unconscious.

"Now, now…" Basten said, pulling his fingers out and beginning to wipe them clean. "There's no need to get insulting."

"You bastard!" Yusuke yelled as Basten turned to look at the other three Aisubachi members on the ground, then at the four men left standing. Yusuke pointed his Spirit Gun at him, his finger tip already glowing brightly. "Fix whatever you did to them _now_ or you're going to need a tombstone when this is done."

Basten closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he were a parent amused by a child's antics. "Honestly, I don't want a fight with you…" A sigh escaped him as he pulled out a vial filled with clear liquid. Opening the bottle, he poured the solution onto his palms, rubbing it over his hands and forearms. "But, if I must…" He held his hands splayed open out in front of him, pressing the tips of his thumbs and pointer fingers together to create a small circle in front of him.

Yusuke pointed at his enemy, creating his Spirit Gun and firing. The enormous blast flew at Basten and then vanished.

"What the -?" Yusuke said.

Kuwabara looked around. "Where'd it go?"

Without warning, Basten's hands began to glow and Yusuke's Spirit Gun shot out from them, headed straight back at Yusuke. It collided with Yusuke, sending him flying backwards through several trees. When he landed, his now-bloodied form lay on the ground, motionless.

Kuwabara, Youko, and Hiei ran over to their friend. As they reached him, Yusuke coughed before groaning.

"Pity. I really didn't want to do that," Basten murmured. "Oh well."

Youko knelt next to Yusuke, looking him over and checking his wounds. "He'll survive, but he needs a healer. Kuwabara, can you get him back to Genkai's?"

"Yeah." Kuwabara lifted Yusuke up on his feet and quickly hauled him away. He paused, "Hey, guys…" When Youko and Hiei turned to him, he gave them a look as if to tell them to beat Basten to a pulp, before taking Yusuke and dragging him away towards the temple. After he had disappeared, both Youko and Hiei turned back to Basten to find him lifting Kumori up into his arms.

In a matter of moments, Basten gave a cry of pain when blood poured from his right shoulder and his arm flew from his body while Kumori fell back toward the ground. He hissed at Youko who had blood dripping from his rose whip. In response, Youko's lips curled over his teeth and a snarl came from him.

…

Hikari's eyes shot open. Sweat covered her while she felt as if her veins had been filled with fire and her muscles stretched beyond their limits, while even some parts were completely numb. Slowly, she sat up, her vision clearing and as it did so, she saw Akira sitting up slowly as well.

"Akira? What happened?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was being outside, then blackness." As Akira stretched, she winced in pain.

"Lemme guess," Hikari said, looking at her friend. "Your body feels like it was stretched in a taffy machine and your veins filled with tabasco sauce?"

"That's an odd way to put it, but yeah…"

"Me too." Hikari glanced at her. "You have any idea what happened?"

"Nuh-uh…" Looking around Akira murmured, "I'm a little confused though on how we passed out at the same time. Isn't that a little odd?"

"Yeah… But hey, let's go downstairs, hopefully someone can tell us what is going on." Both girls left the room and walked down the stairs, Hikari leading the way. When they came downstairs, several pairs of eyes turned to look at them. Shizuru was the first to speak.

"Hey kiddos. Glad to see you're both awake."

Keiko walked up to them. "Are you two okay? We were worried."

Akira and Hikari looked at each other, then back at everyone looking at them. "Except for a little pain, we're fine…" Akira said, her face showing her confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, sheila," Chu said, looking over at her. "Ya both were out for a quite some time."

Hikari's eyes widened. "Huh?! What do you mean 'we were out'? What's going on? What happened? Where's Kumori?"

Genkai raised her hand for quiet before anyone could say anything else. "We'll get to that. Now first, both of you, tell me what you remember."

…

Basten hissed again as he took a large cloth and tried to stop the blood that was coming out of his arm. Feverishly, Basten's eyes searched the ground for both his arm and Kumori. His search was cut short as Hiei's voice called out, "Looking for these?"

Turning, Basten saw Kumori lying peacefully in front of Hiei while his arm was in the fire demon's right hand. Horror crept into his face as black flames leapt up from Hiei's hand and consumed his arm, leaving nothing, not even a small pile of ash. He took a step back away from the two demons who gave him smiles that made his blood run cold. He was outmatched now and they knew it. Before they could do anything else, Basten fled.

* * *

Ending comments: Ok! Same old, same old. Did you like it? What'd you think? Please review!


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